One Day More
by CalaisKenobi
Summary: Obi-Wan is given the opportunity to make some changes in his past. With the help of some old friends, and the hindrance of some old enemies, the Galaxy will be forever changed. COMPLETE
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: George Lucas owns all and has rights to all 

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He closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief as the sheer presence of the Force overwhelmed him, taking him from the indignity his life had become and cradling him in its loving presence.  No more agonizingly-long blistering-hot days on that dust ball of a planet, his many lonely hours spent in total isolation with only the threatening presence of the Tusken Raiders to keep him company.  No more gut-wrenching fluctuations of the Living Force as he felt yet another of his former comrades and friends cut down by his apprentice.  No more would he be forced to hear about the horrible atrocities that the Empire, under the steel-fisted execution of Sidious and Anakin, had committed.  

He was finally free.  The Rebellion had won, Sidious was dead, and Anakin was redeemed.  Luke Skywalker had succeeded in correcting all the errors that one young Knight's arrogance had inflicted on the galaxy.  

Obi-Wan Kenobi had finally found the oblivion he so desperately craved.

~~~

His eyes fluttered open slowly, and he blinked several times in his attempt to focus on the strange new environment.  _Is this the Force?_ he wondered, not truly expecting an answer. He stood in the middle of a lush paradise full of diversity rarely, if ever, seen.  Although he could see no signs of animal life, the rich melody of birdsong filling the air and the slight rustling of the underbrush spoke of its presence.  A softly scented breeze whispered around his still form, gently playing with the loose spikes of his hair. 

_Spikes?_  Raising a hand to his head, Obi-Wan was surprised to find his hair cut in the short Padawan style he had not worn since the day his Master died.  Tracing the pattern of spikes across to the right side of his head, he was bemused to find the long trailing braid of his much younger years also present.  _Okay, so if this is the Force, why am I saddled yet again with this horrible hairstyle?_ Snorting at the incongruity of his own thoughts, he continued to peruse his appearance. His Jedi tunics were firmly in place, and the lightsaber hilt he had lost that fateful day on Naboo was affixed to his utility belt as if it had never been gone.  Even the knee-high boots were the same worn and scuffed leather he remembered so vividly.

"Where am I?" he muttered, not realizing that he had spoken aloud until a soft voice answered.

"You are exactly where you need to be, young Jedi."

Spinning around to face the unexpected presence, Obi-Wan came face to face with a startlingly ethereal figure.  Her long silver hair reached well below her waist and her deep indigo eyes spoke of an almost disturbingly powerful wisdom.  Her slim and willowy figure was wrapped in a light yellow robe, made of some wispy, yet opaque material.

"I don't understand," Obi-Wan stated, "is this the Force?"  Wincing at his own bluntness, he was dismayed to find that the imperiousness of his youth had also returned, along with the physical aspects.

"In a manner of speaking, yes this is the Force," the woman answered softly.  "Actually, you could call this more a gift of the Force, than an actual manifestation of it."

"And you are?" he questioned, unwittingly taking a step closer to her, drawn to her like a moth to the flame.

"You may call me Natira," she stated graciously.  "I am here to guide you, and to help you in your decision."

"My decision?" 

"Obi-Wan Kenobi, you are much loved of the Force, and yet your life was painful at the best of times," Natira sighed.  "You never wavered in your commitment however, and you worked to fulfill the will of the Force until your very last breath, and even beyond that."  Lifting her hand to his face, her silk-soft hand caressed the furrow that had developed between his brows, effectively halting the questions she knew he wished to ask.

"Your life served a purpose for the greater good, whether or not you are willing to accept it," she explained.  "And though you made mistakes, and you oftentimes made things more difficult for yourself than was necessary, you persevered until the end.  And for that, and all of the pain you have suffered, you have earned the right to make a choice."

Spellbound by her lilting voice and the soft hand that affectionately stroked his forehead, as a mother would for her ill child, Obi-Wan found himself unwilling, and unable to ask all the questions that her declaration inspired.  Instead he simply leaned gently into her embrace, accepting the solace she offered, and for the first time in a long, long time truly felt loved.

For her part, Natira simply held the life-weary young man, offering him all the comfort that she could give until he was ready to accept this opportunity.  Several hours passed in silence, with the only change occurring when Natira slowly slipped to her knees, pulling Obi-Wan down with her and continuing to cradle his beleaguered spirit.

When he began to gently remove himself from her embrace, she knew that he was ready to face the choices the Force was offering to him.  "What am I to choose?" he asked softly, sitting back on his heels so that he could better judge the expression of her delicate features.

"You speak as if you expect to face an ordeal, young one," she laughed, the tinkling quality of her voice matching effortlessly with the melodic birdcalls.

"Experience has taught me that choice tends to be painful," Obi-Wan admitted, offering his own gentle smile to temper the harshness of his words.  "I have learned to always prepare for the worst, so that if it does happen, I am not disappointed or caught off guard."

"Well, my dear, in this instance you have nothing to lose, and so very much to gain," she answered, leaning forward and patting his knee.  "You are being given an opportunity that has never before been offered, and will probably never be again, as it is unlikely that we will ever come across such a gentle and committed spirit such as yours again."

"An opportunity to do what?" he questioned, his suspicions represented in his voice.

"You are given an opportunity for one day more," she explained, laughing yet again at his confused expression.  "No, not one more day of life but rather the chance to _relive_ one day of your life."

"And do what with it?" Obi-Wan asked, his mind whirling with the possibilities.

"Whatever you wish," she stated, her indigo eyes catching and holding his own stormy gaze.  "You can affect any change you wish or redo any experience you feel might have made your life better."

"But you said that I have 'nothing to lose'?" he inquired.  "What happens if I make a wrong choice, and inadvertently make things worse?"

"That's why you will be given three opportunities," Natira continued.  "You will be able to relive three different days of your life, changing them however you can, and then living through an accelerated version of the outcome.  At the end of your three experiences, you will make one final choice."

"And that choice would be?" 

"You get to choose which life you would like to experience," Natira stated, smiling at the joy in his eyes that she had seen so rarely throughout his turbulent life.  "And you will finally have the chance to live the life you truly deserved."


	2. 2

Obi-Wan sat silently by himself, listening to the soft birdcalls and the gentle rustle of the wind. _How exactly does one meditate with the Force, when one is IN the Force? _he wondered idly as he worked to calm his mind and explore his options. It was a certainty that he would take the opportunity offered to him, but he wanted to make sure that he picked the three days in which he had the best chance of having an influence. Even if he would only actually "live" one of those three alternate lives, he wanted the chance to choose the best of the best, rather than settling for the least horrid outcome as it seemed he had done all of his life.   
  
There were so many days of his life that had been important to him, but he had to wonder which ones were important to the galaxy as a whole. Did the day that he decided to leave the Jedi matter to the timeline as much as it had mattered to him? What would happen if he went back and chose to leave Melida/Daan with Master Jinn as he had been expected to? Would Qui-Gon then have trusted and loved him more, thereby preventing the Master from pushing him aside for young Anakin? Even if it did change his Master's opinion of him, would that influence the future of Anakin Skywalker for the best or for the worst?   
  
Debating all of the pros and cons of all of the days of his life had proved to be a futile and impossible task and he soon found himself simply sitting quietly and listening to the soft sounds of the Living Force. He knew that he was expected to make a decision, but he did not know how to make such an important choice without the input of the Force. All of his life, he had reached to it for guidance and wisdom, and now in the moment he needed it most, he was left on his own.   
  
"You are not alone," Natira corrected as she stepped into the small clearing where he rested. "The Force is always with you, and will always be with you."   
  
"Then why isn't it telling me what to do?" Obi-Wan complained, aware that he might have sounded petulant but too frustrated to worry about it.   
  
"This is _your _choice, Obi-Wan. It is a chance for you to decide how you would want your life to be lived. The first time, you accepted the guidance of the Force in all things, and though you did succeed in bringing balance, your life was an unhappy and desolate one, even for a Jedi."   
  
"But how am I to know what to change? How do I know how my choice might impact the rest of the galaxy?" he asked softly, his stormy blue-green gaze settling unfocused on the stream that ran burbling through the clearing.   
  
"Your selflessness is a becoming trait, young Jedi," Natira sighed, "but it is a hindrance when it comes to your own happiness."   
  
"I cannot allow my own personal happiness to cause anyone else pain or suffering," Obi-Wan argued. "That is something I could never do."   
  
Settling to the ground beside the meditative posture of the Jedi, Natira turned her own indigo gaze to the flowing stream. Allowing a few moments to pass in silence she finally spoke again. "The stream is quite beautiful isn't it?"   
  
"Yes, it is," he answered softly. If he was confused by the change of subject, he showed no indication of it.   
  
"It's sad, however, isn't it?" she asked.   
  
"Sad?" he questioned, turning to gaze upon her serene features.   
  
"It is quite sad the damage the stream causes when the rain falls heavily. So many animals are killed in its raging waters, and many of the younger trees within the forest do not survive the flooding season. I wonder if perhaps we would not be better off without it," she commented, her gaze still on the distant water.   
  
"The stream is a necessity to the trees, even when it does flood," Obi-Wan countered. "And the flood is necessary as it helps the river to overturn the soil and gain more nutrients for the species that thrive within it. Without the river, the trees and animals would die just as surely and as swiftly as any have during the floods."   
  
"Do you suppose the river feels guilty for what it does?" Natira questioned, turning to regard the young Jedi. As she saw the expression on his face, she smiled. "And so why is it that you feel guilty for your actions? Did your actions not help to remove the inefficient and corrupt government of the Republic? Did you not help revise the Jedi Order, returning it a brotherhood where love and service are not mutually exclusive?"   
  
"But couldn't it have been done without so many dying and so many years of suffering?"   
  
"Well, that is what you are being the given the opportunity to find out," she grinned. "Don't concern yourself with the ultimate effects of your actions. You cannot control what might happen anymore than the river can control whether or not it floods. As long as you act in love, you remain true to yourself, and you don't attempt to cause too much change all at once, I think you will find that the ultimate outcome of your choices will be for the good of all."   
  
Silently assimilating all that she had told him, Obi-Wan closed his eyes and reached deep within his own mind. Allowing all of his memories and dreams and wishes to flow freely, he quickly found the first day that he had always desperately hoped to change. Opening his eyes once again, he found Natira's wise indigo gaze focused solely on him.   
  
"You have made your choice?" she asked, though it was apparent that she already knew.   
  
"Yes," he answered softly.   
  
"Then I wish you luck young Obi-Wan, and remember, the Force will always be with you." As she finished speaking she rose to her feet and moved swiftly and silently back toward where she had entered the clearing.   
  
Watching until she was out of sight, Obi-Wan took a deep breath. _Now how exactly am I supposed to do this? _he wondered. Closing his eyes and centering himself, he focused his mind on the memory of the one day he had chosen to relive. When he reopened his stormy gaze, he found that the edges of the clearing had begun to change, and the colors were much more muted. In fascination, he watched as all of the scenery surrounding him began to fade and a soft white light replaced the verdant fields and forest. As the light grew brighter and brighter, he began to squint until finally he had no choice but to shut his eyes.   
  
As the golden-brown lashes fluttered over his shining eyes, Obi-Wan swore that he saw Natira standing before him, a gentle smile uplifting the edges of her rosy lips. Giving her his own grin in return, Obi-Wan Kenobi shut his eyes from the vision of the Force, reopening them seconds later to find himself standing on soil he had neither seen nor touched in over thirty years.


	3. 3

The sights and smells were familiar and oddly comforting, though they had haunted his dreams for over thirty years. The slightly pungent tang of the water and the strong odor of the nearby peat conspired to bring forth memories he did not wish to recall. Taking a deep breath of the aromatic air of the swamp, he worked to calm himself. _There is nothing here to worry about… yet _  
  
"I foresee you will become a great Jedi Knight someday." A voice beside him spoke, pulling him from his turbulent thoughts and reminding him that he had "entered" in the middle of _that _conversation.   
  
Focusing his eyes on the face he couldn't have ever forgotten, yet had never been able to quite recall, he smiled. "Thank you, Master. I appreciate all that you have done for me, and all of the sacrifices you have made in your life so that I could be a part of it. Now is probably not the best time to tell you this, but I want you to know just how much you mean to me. I don't know my real father, but I know he could never mean anything more to me than you do."   
  
Obi-Wan had had years of self-flagellation and isolation to recreate that one moment in time that had haunted him throughout his life, and yet, though he had known exactly what he would say, he could not stop the flood of tears that came to his eyes. "I love you Master."   
  
Taken aback, and slightly shocked by the sudden outpouring of emotions over a bond that had been mostly closed since the transport from Coruscant, Qui-Gon didn't react at first as Obi-Wan threw his arms around him in an embrace. After only a few seconds time, the Master recovered and returned the hug. "I am so proud of you, Obi-Wan. You are truly my son, in every way except for blood."   
  
Before either Jedi could make any response, they were interrupted by the appearance of Jar Jar Binks. _And now it begins… _Obi-Wan sighed as he watched his Master resume his stolid Jedi mask and set to the task at hand. _Only this time, I will make certain that my Master survives this day _  
  
*********************************************   
  
The meeting with Boss Nass had gone exactly as Obi-Wan remembered it, the only difference coming from the slight banter he and Qui-Gon kept up over their bond. The last time, the training bond they shared had been tightly shielded from both ends, and neither Jedi had even made an attempt to contact the other.   
  
\\Do you suppose she actually thought she was fooling us with that handmaiden stunt?\\Obi-Wan asked, raising an eyebrow as he turned to regard his Master.   
  
\\Perhaps… though I might have added to her belief while we were on Tatooine\\ Qui-Gon responded in his typical light tone.   
  
\\Oh?\\ Obi-Wan questioned, delighting in the levity he was sharing with the man he had though he could only dream of speaking to again.   
  
\\Well, it was much easier to get things done if I was only relying on the word of a handmaiden and not the Queen\\   
  
Laughing softly, Obi-Wan redirected his attention to the scene playing out before them. Boss Nass was partaking in his salivation routine, while Queen Amidala tried to smile despite her obvious disgust. _At least Jar Jar doesn't drool… _Obi-Wan thought, watching the thick streams of… something… fly from the Gungan leader's mouth. Turning his head away before he became nauseated, he found his gaze locked on the sandy-haired boy that stood beside him.   
  
_If I killed him, I'd be doing the galaxy a favor… _Watching the smile that shined over the young boy's angelic features, Obi-Wan had to admit to himself that he could never harm Anakin Skywalker, even if he was doomed to become Darth Vader. _But this time will be different! _He swore to himself, drawing a strange look from his Master at the determined expression on his face. Easing it with a slight smile, he forced his attention away from the future Sith and back to the proceedings at hand.   
  
*********************************************   
  
He knew every move the Zabrak would make, and he was prepared to counter every one. Fighting with a desperate fervor, and with the skill of a Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi forced the Sith apprentice through the laser shielded hallway and into the generator room. Qui-Gon followed just behind, covering his shock at his Padawan's sudden leap in skill level by focusing solely on the "here and now."   
  
\\Don't let him lure you into that room alone!\\ Qui-Gon urged through the bond, as he was trapped at the laser guarding the entrance to the short hallway. \\He will try to separate us, and you must not let him\\   
  
\\I will handle this Master\\ Obi-Wan replied, not even pausing to look over his shoulder at the harried from of the elder Master. He knew that Qui-Gon didn't stand a chance of getting through the laser grid in time to assist him, and he was glad. He had managed to drain quite a bit of the Sith's energy during their frantic fight across the crosswalks, and he knew that even should he die, Qui-Gon would easily be able to fight the Zabrak with so much of his dark energy depleted.   
  
\\Padawan, I order you to wait for me!\\ Qui-Gon shouted as he heard the buzz that indicated the grid would soon be opening.   
  
Ignoring his Master's plea, Obi-Wan shot from the hallway and immediately engaged the Sith in battle once again. Drawing on the skill he had learned during his many years as a General of the Republic Army, Obi-Wan easily kept the Sith off balance and off guard.   
  
"Who are you?" the Zabrak hissed, as he pulled back from the flashing azure blade of the talented young Jedi.   
  
"I am the man who has waited his entire life for this moment," Obi-Wan responded, closing the distance between the two of them. "And I am the _last _sight you will ever see."   
  
In a flash of brilliant blue, only hindered briefly by the defensive crimson, Darth Maul was defeated once again by Obi-Wan Kenobi.


	4. 4

Obi-Wan stood silently in the middle of the Council Chambers as his Master finished giving his report on the events that had transpired on Naboo. _Your former Master… _he reminded himself, both dismayed and thrilled by the turn of events. He was upset to again be losing Qui-Gon, but at least this time he would still be able to communicate with him and seek him out for advice. _He is still alive, and that's what is important _  
  
"Do you have anything to add to your Master's report, Padawan Kenobi?" Master Windu asked, startling Obi-Wan out of his reverie. He found it strangely amusing to again be addressed as "Padawan" by the man that he had shared many late night talks and drinks with during his doomed training of Anakin Skywalker.   
  
"No Master Windu," he answered, trying to emulate the reverent tone he knew that he had once held when speaking to the Jedi High Council. _If only you knew, Master, how much like you I became as the Republic and the very Order that had raised me crumbled around my feet _  
  
"An excuse, have you, for your impetuous actions against the Sith?" Master Yoda inquired, his sleepy eyes seeming to penetrate Obi-Wan's very soul.   
  
"I was only trying to do my duty as a Padawan and protect my Master," he replied, bowing his head slightly.   
  
"And risk your own life in the process?" Master Plo Koon questioned, leaning forward in his chair.   
  
"I did not feel that I was putting my own life at risk," Obi-Wan stated properly. "I knew that I had more experience with staff fighting than my Master, and I felt that gave me an advantage that my Master did not have." Although his statement would have been a lie, had he actually been "Padawan Kenobi," it registered in the Force as a truth, since the man that stood before the Council definitely had more experience fighting Sith than any other living Jedi.   
  
"Regardless, your actions speak of a certain recklessness," Mace Windu interjected. "And recklessness is a trait not befitting a Jedi Knight."   
  
"I… I don't understand," Obi-Wan stuttered, his stormy blue gaze locking on Master Windu's unfathomable expression.   
  
"A powerful Jedi you will be," Master Yoda spoke, "but ready for Knighthood now you are not. Remain a Padawan with Master Jinn you will, until ready for your trials the Council deems you."   
  
*********************************************   
  
"So what is to become of me then?" The young, plaintive tones rang out through the serene halls of the Jedi Temple, as the temper of the young boy rose.   
  
"Anakin, you will be a Jedi, but I cannot train you," Qui-Gon Jinn explained, his consoling tones a strong contrast to Anakin's sharp retort.   
  
"You cannot train me because Obi-Wan is too jealous of me!" Anakin shouted, his little hands balling up into fists.   
  
"It is not Obi-Wan's fault that I cannot train you," Qui-Gon sighed. "The Council has made a decision regarding your training and I must abide by it."   
  
"But the Council would've let you train me if it wasn't for him!" the young boy screamed. "I wish that Sith would've killed him and then he wouldn't be ruining my life!"   
  
"Anakin, I think it is time that you returned to the initiate's dorm and spent some time with your instructor on your temper," the Master replied calmly. "I am sure that she can help you to learn some meditative techniques that will help."   
  
"But I don't want some 'instructor,'" Anakin sobbed, his clear blue eyes filling with the tears of a frightened young child. "I want you!"   
  
"I know Anakin, I know," Qui-Gon said, crouching down and pulling the boy into a tight hug. "You have been through quite a bit in these past few days, and it is understandable that you are afraid, but you must learn to control yourself."   
  
"I could learn if you helped me," he sniffed, pulling back from the Master's embrace; his eyes pleading with Qui-Gon.   
  
"I will see if I can spare some time to assist your instructor," the Master acquiesced, smiling gently when Anakin's expression broke out in a bright grin. "But for now I must attend to my Padawan."   
  
"Yes Master," Anakin replied, his innocent smile belying the undercurrent of his response.   
  
Rather than reprimanding the boy for addressing him as if he were his Master, rather than simply a Master of the Order, Qui-Gon allowed it to pass.   
  
*********************************************   
  
"I'm sorry Master," Obi-Wan stated, the instant his Master had passed through the doors into their shared quarters. He knelt in the center of the open floor with his head bowed and his eyes focused on the dark gray carpeting.   
  
"Stand up Obi-Wan," Master Jinn sighed, crossing in front of his Padawan to hang his robe over the back of the small sofa. "You have nothing to be sorry for, though I do think you owe me an explanation."   
  
"Master?" Obi-Wan asked, feeling a slight twinge of joy at being able to address Qui-Gon as that, even under the present circumstances.   
  
"How is it that the young boy I trained suddenly turned into a man capable of easily defeating a Sith?" the Master replied, sitting on the sofa and patting the space beside him.   
  
Rising to his feet, Obi-Wan instead chose to kneel on the floor across the small table from his Master. It was a position he had taken many times as a young boy, when he was being called to explain one or another of his many stunts. "I am not sure what you mean Master," he answered, trying to decide what, if anything, to tell Qui-Gon.   
  
"The man I saw fighting in that generator room is not the same one I trained for the past ten years," the Master stated, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees. "So perhaps you can explain to me just how it is you learned to fight a staff-bearer, when I _know _that I neither taught you that, nor allowed anyone else to risk teaching you that."   
  
Smiling inwardly, relieved that Qui-Gon was only worried that he had risked injury by taking training forbidden to anyone under a Master's level, Obi-Wan lowered his head. "I am sorry Master. I was given the opportunity to learn from one of the visiting Masters and knew that you might not have approved of my training with such a dangerous weapon."   
  
"And so instead, you went behind my back and learned anyway?" Qui-Gon demanded, his blue eyes flashing in barely concealed anger.   
  
"I didn't think…" he began to explain, only to be interrupted by his Master.   
  
"No, you didn't think," Qui-Gon stated in a too-calm voice. "You didn't think when you risked your life taking training forbidden to you, you didn't think when you engaged a Sith on your own, and you certainly didn't think when you admitted such actions in front of the Council."   
  
"Master, I…"   
  
"You have made it impossible for me to train Anakin, thereby breaking a promise I made to his mother," Master Jinn continued, completely ignoring Obi-Wan's attempt to explain. "Your own selfish actions have hurt that boy, and have set back your own chances at Knighthood."   
  
Standing up from the couch and grabbing his robe off of the back of it, Qui-Gon turned his back on Obi-Wan as he moved toward the door separating their quarters from the hallway beyond. Just before he stepped through, he turned and regarded the young man still kneeling on the floor. "I appreciate that your actions saved me from injury or harm, but you should not have risked yourself so," Qui-Gon said softly, the edge still within his tone, but now softened. "You are too important to be lost to such a reckless stunt."   
  
"Master, I'm, I…"   
  
Pulling his robe on over his tunics, and straightening the fabric so that it lay smoothly, Master Jinn stepped through the doorway, allowing it to hiss shut behind him.


	5. 5

Dropping uneasily into a state of meditation, Obi-Wan tried to soothe his conflicting emotions. He was grateful to have had the chance to save his Master's life, and he was also surprisingly thrilled to still be a Padawan, but he had not anticipated Qui-Gon's anger. _Well, did you really expect anything different? He doesn't know what would have happened otherwise, only YOU do. _  
  
Sighing and giving up on his attempts at meditation until he could talk to his Master again, Obi-Wan instead turned his attentions to the holo-terminal. He had studied the theories of time travel and paradoxes as a senior Padawan, and though many years had passed since that time, he still remembered enough to realize that his impromptu changing of the timeline may have inadvertently changed other key events. Logging onto the Coruscant network, he set to work analyzing news sources from far and wide, trying to determine what, if anything, he had changed.   
  
Flipping through the sources, he drew in a tight breath as the image of Supreme Chancellor Palpatine filled the monitor. _I should have tried to come back earlier and prevent him from ever being elected into office _he admonished himself, trying to release the anger he felt at just seeing the malignant politician. _Perhaps, though, it isn't too late to do something about him? He couldn't have gained too much political clout yet, could he? _  
  
Leaning back in the desk chair and pondering the choices he had in regards to the future Emperor and current Sith Lord, Obi-Wan meditated lightly as the hours slipped away.   
  
*********************************************   
  
Sometimes he wondered exactly how it was that Yoda still managed to kneel in meditation after 800 years. Although he was not nearly as old as the venerable Master, Qui-Gon found that his knees and joints began to ache after only a few hours. "You're losing your edge, old man," he scoffed softly, leaning back on his heels in an attempt to relieve some of the pain.   
  
His time in meditation had helped to release some of the anger he felt toward his apprentice. Once he had acknowledged that the majority of the anger came from his fear at losing the young man he held so dear, it was only a matter of accepting that Obi-Wan had survived and that all was well. _Well, maybe not quite "well," _he thought, as his mind again began to analyze the fight that had occurred only a few days ago.   
  
Although he had spent the last decade training his apprentice, he could've sworn that the man he saw fighting in the generator room was not Obi-Wan Kenobi, regardless of what his eyes and the Force told him. _I know that he is not capable of some of the maneuvers he performed, and beyond that, it was almost as if he knew the Sith's moves before he even made them! _  
  
Trying to assimilate his knowledge of his Padawan's ability with the visions of the battle that played through his head, Qui-Gon did not at first notice when another joined him in his meditations. It was only as he opened his eyes in defeat that he noticed the other Master kneeling across from him.   
  
"Mace?" he asked quietly, unwilling to disturb the Councilor if he was in a deep meditation.   
  
"There is something about your report to the Council that disturbs me, old friend," Master Windu answered, before even opening his eyes. "How is it that your apprentice managed to best a Sith without your assistance, when you yourself stressed how well trained the Sith was when you faced him on Tatooine?" As the chocolate brown eyes flickered open, Qui-Gon drew in a deep breath.   
  
"I'm not sure," he admitted, "and that's what I am here trying to find out."   
  
"You don't think that he may have called upon the Darkside in his attempts to fight the Sith?" Mace questioned, eyeing Qui-Gon shrewdly.   
  
"NO!" he answered vehemently, shifting his position so that he sat cross-legged before the Councilor. "Obi-Wan would never have done that, and even if he had, I would have known it. Our training bond was fully open and I didn't feel the slightest twinge of Dark energy."   
  
Adjusting his own stance to mirror Master Jinn's, Mace sighed. "Then how is it possible that he fought with a Master's level of skill, when we all know that he is merely an apprentice?"   
  
"There was a tape of the encounter, wasn't there?" Qui-Gon asked rhetorically, suddenly realizing that the entire Council was pondering the same questionable leap in advancement that he was.   
  
"Queen Amidala is not one to take her security measures lightly," Mace answered, though he knew that the other Master had already come to the realization that the Council had the same information that he, himself, was privy to. "The Council would like to arrange another session with you and your apprentice sometime to discuss what exactly happened. I don't need to tell you, Qui-Gon, but there are some on the Council that are seriously concerned with Obi-Wan's sudden leap in skill level. There are even some rumblings of whether or not he may have been secretly training with the Sith sometime in the past to know his moves so well."   
  
"You cannot be serious!" Qui-Gon bellowed, rising to his feet in astonishment. "Obi-Wan has not been anywhere near any Darksider, and you know it!"   
  
Standing, and offering a sympathetic look to his once-best friend, Mace grimaced. "Qui-Gon, need I remind you that you said almost the same exact words several years ago about another apprentice of yours? Perhaps you are too close to the situation yet again?"   
  
"Xanatos is not the issue here," Qui-Gon growled, "and you know very well that Obi-Wan has nothing in common with him. I will not stand here and allow you to make such accusations against a man that we both know is purely of the Light." Pulling his cloak tightly around him, Qui-Gon turned his back on his former friend and exited hastily from the meditation gardens.   
  
*********************************************   
  
Watching silently until the dark-skinned Master had exited the gardens, Anakin Skywalker rose to his feet from where he had sat hunched under one of the low-hanging Garzana bushes. The sweet-smelling flowers had tickled his senses, and he had to fight not to sneeze throughout the brief meeting between the two Masters. He had followed Master Jinn in the hopes of convincing him to start his training, but had instead found himself watching silently as the dignified Master had settled into a private meditation.   
  
The minutes had ticked by, but the young boy was too afraid of revealing his presence to attempt to move to a more comfortable position. He had just decided to sneak away when the other Master had made an appearance. Curiosity, and a bit of fear, had kept him frozen in his place as the two had carried on their short discussion. When the meeting had ended, and both Masters had gone their separate ways, it was indecision and a burning sense of anger that kept Anakin from moving.   
  
_How could he do that to Master Qui-Gon! _Anakin fumed. He had spent the long, boring hours aboard the transport from Naboo to Coruscant reviewing all of the files he could find about Master Jinn and his erstwhile apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Although he had wanted to spend more time in the cockpit, the presence of the stern Master Windu had prevented him from doing so. Instead, he had spent the time holed up in his small cabin, hacking into the computer system and studying ever little bit of data he could get his hands on.   
  
What he had found had only led to him hating Padawan Kenobi even more. From the young Obi-Wan's escapades on Melida/Daan to the more recent argument before the Council, Anakin found only more and more reason to despise the man. _Master Qui-Gon deserves better than Obi-Wan! And he certainly shouldn't have to deal with an apprentice who has called upon the Darkside! _Deciding that it was his duty, and his obligation, to Master Jinn to do something about the Jedi-imposter who called himself a Padawan, Anakin began to make plans.


	6. 6

Opening his eyes slowly from his meditation, Obi-Wan's gaze settled on the still image of Chancellor Palpatine showing on the view screen. Releasing a pent breath from his meditations, the once-Master leaned forward and tapped the data input, changing the terminal's settings from information to communication. As the familiar logo of the Coruscant network displayed on the screen, he ran a hand through his hair, still surprised at its short length. _Well at least I still have my hard-won skills and training… even if I am now lacking in the follicle-department _  
  
Snorting lightly at the thought, Obi-Wan used the brief period of good humor to renew his purpose. _This is the only chance I am going to have for this, and it HAS to be done. _Dropping his hand back down from his head, lightly skimming his Padawan braid as he did so, Obi-Wan set to work on a message for the office of the Supreme Chancellor.   
  
*********************************************   
  
Unwilling and unable to face his apprentice in his current mood after his meditation had been interrupted by the exchange with Master Windu; Qui-Gon instead went in search of the young boy he had fought so diligently for. Approaching the initiate quarters appropriated for the Tatooine native, the Jedi Master could tell immediately that Anakin was not present. The boy's Force-signature shown clearly, even through the durasteel door, and its absence was blatantly obvious. _Now where could he have run off? _Reaching out to the Force, Qui-Gon quickly searched throughout the Temple complex for the unique Force impression that was Anakin Skywalker.   
  
Locating the errant boy proved easy, but the Master still had no idea what Anakin was up to. It was apparent that he was near the main archives of the Temple, but with his limited reading and writing experience, it was unlikely that the former slave would be engaged in any study. Assuming that Anakin was involved in some sort of tour arranged by his initiate instructor, Qui-Gon decided to simply wait within the boy's room for Ani's return.   
  
*********************************************   
  
"Jumping to conclusions you are," Master Yoda admonished as Master Windu joined him within the Council's meditation chambers.   
  
"It is clear that there is more to what happened on Naboo than what Padawan Kenobi has chosen to tell us," Mace objected.   
  
"And so, assume you do, that he is darkened," Yoda harrumphed, rapping his gimmer stick on the tile flooring. "Assume, you should not. Much to tell us young Obi-Wan has, wait for him to reveal it, we must."   
  
"And if he is tainted by the Darkside?" Master Windu questioned, settling on the stool beside the older Master and tucking his long legs up beneath him. "If we wait, it is likely that he will be able to cause even more harm."   
  
"What harm has he caused?" Yoda asked; his sleepy eyes fixated on the dark-skinned Master's face. "Appears, it does, that saved his Master's life he did. Harm, that is not. Help, it is."   
  
"But how is it that a Padawan, even a senior Padawan, was able to best a Sith when a Jedi Master could not?"   
  
"Disturbing this is," the elder Master admitted as his eyes again fell shut in his attempts to search the Force for answers. "But wait and see what Obi-Wan wishes to reveal we must."   
  
*********************************************   
  
"And so you see that something must be done!" The young voice was raised in ardor, and it was apparent, even without the visual, that the boy was completely serious in his pleas for assistance.   
  
"My dear boy, I am sorry to hear of such suffering, but what am I to do?" The responding voice was as soft as silk, but edged with undeniable steel.   
  
"I don't know…" uncertainty crept into the tones, before being replaced with a dark glee. "Perhaps you could arrange for a special mission of some sort?"   
  
"You wish for me to… remove… the issue?" Without the visual activated, the young boy could not see the feral grin growing across the face of the older man.   
  
"…Yes."   
  
*********************************************   
  
Clicking off the terminal, Obi-Wan leaned back in the chair, grinding the heels of his palms over his closed eyelids. _It had to be done. It had to be done… _He kept up the solid litany, as if to reassure himself of the inescapable actions he had just set in motion, as he rose from the chair and turned to face the balcony doorway. Watching the steady stream of traffic helped to settle his mind as he used the ever-changing scenery as a visual focus.   
  
It was the first time he had actually stopped to appreciate the hustle and bustle of the Republic Capital, after his last visit to the planet had resulted in the deaths of all his fellow Jedi. The overabundance of life was almost stunning in its comparison to the dead husk of a planet he had evacuated so many, many years ago. He had never bothered to set foot on Coruscant after the Empire had established it as its home base, and his last memories of it were full of the pain and betrayal that had haunted too much of his past.   
  
_But now I have a chance to rectify that. I only need to keep Anakin and Palpatine apart, and Darth Vader will never be born. _Trying to focus on his second chance, and chase away the sorrow and regrets of a lifetime, Obi-Wan watched the unending stream of vibrant life flow past his window, never noticing the glistening tears that tracked so softly down his face.   
  
*********************************************   
  
The weary sense of resignation and sorrow traversed the link, bringing Qui-Gon to his feet and out of the small doorway almost before he had recognized its source. Although he and Obi-Wan shared a fairly strong Master/Padawan link, it was unusual for the apprentice to allow his emotions to flow so freely. It was only when Obi-Wan was in trouble, or when the two were involved in a battle situation, that the link was completely open to the level it was now.   
  
Rushing through the Temple hallways, heedless of the stares and whispers that followed his path, Qui-Gon headed unerringly toward the quarters he shared with his Padawan. Although he tried to contact Obi-Wan through the bond, it was almost as if the apprentice was unaware of the Master's increasingly forceful queries.   
  
Barging through the door into the communal room of the quarters, Qui-Gon came to an abrupt stop at the vision before him. Obi-Wan knelt on the floor before the balcony, the late afternoon sun streaming in and highlighting the natural auburn of his hair. Although the lighting gave the Padawan an ethereal beauty, it was the glistening tear tracks that sparkled so elegantly on the pale face that drew the Master's attention. Dropping to his knees across from his apprentice, Qui-Gon gently lifted a hand to the still features, wiping away the still flowing evidence of Obi-Wan's profound sorrow.   
  
"Master?" Obi-Wan questioned, as his eyes flickered open to focus on the familiar face before him.   
  
"Padawan, I am sorry I was so harsh with you before," the Master spoke tenderly, his blue eyes softened with regret. "I did not mean to upset you so, I just… I realized how easily I could have lost you, and I was afraid."   
  
Smiling sadly, Obi-Wan rose gracefully to his feet, offering a hand to his Master once he was fully standing. Accepting the offer, Qui-Gon allowed his Padawan to lever him to his feet, and then followed docilely as Obi-Wan led the way to the small couch. Sitting down, the Master was surprised when Obi-Wan failed to join him, instead choosing to sit cross-legged on the floor before him. Raising an eyebrow, the older Jedi made no comment otherwise.   
  
Accepting the Master's silence with another small smile, the Padawan leaned forward until his elbows rested gently on his knees with his chin settled on his cupped hands. Taking a deep breath, Obi-Wan released it and his pensive tension before speaking. "Master, I have some things I need to tell you…"


	7. 7

"Sir, there is a communication for you from the Jedi Temple," Lazira, Chancellor Palpatine's personal secretary, announced.   
  
"I will take it in my office," the Chancellor replied, keeping his voice calmly modulated, though he felt an ecstatic wave of elation. His plans were already falling into place, years earlier than he had predicted they would. Moving swiftly, yet evenly, the dark-cloaked man entered his private offices and sealed the door. Sitting stiffly behind his Appleton desk, he activated the comm. unit within and silently viewed the message. There was no visual, no sound and it was merely two lines of text, but it was enough to strongly pique his curiosity.   
  
Leaning back in his chair, in a casual pose he would never have affected in front of any of his subordinates, legal or no, he peaked his hands in front of him and considered the cryptic communication. Although he knew who the message was _not _from, and was relatively certain of whom it was from, he was not one to normally take risks, but in this case he was willing to make an exception. The communication was too intriguing, and possibly too dangerous, to ignore. Studying the message once more, the Chancellor leaned forward and responded to the non-visual, non-audio message in kind, with a one-word response. "Agreed."   
  
*********************************************   
  
"I'm really not certain how to go about this," Obi-Wan admitted with a rueful grin that was quickly replaced with a more sober expression. "I guess the best place to begin would be with the battle on Naboo."   
  
"Padawan," Qui-Gon interrupted, leaning forward toward his apprentice, "I think it might be best if you start before Naboo. It is apparent that you received training from someone besides me, and I wish to know who it is."   
  
"Master, I know this is going to be difficult," Obi-Wan sighed, " but I would appreciate it if you would simply reserve judgment and hear me out."   
  
"Obi-Wan, I have allowed you much latitude in your training," Master Jinn replied, his blue eyes fixed on his Padawan's own sober gaze, "but you are still my apprentice. You will answer me when I ask you who trained you to fight a Sith."   
  
"Master Jinn," the younger Jedi stated, knowing that the more formal address was sure to get Qui-Gon's attention, "as a Padawan I would be expected to answer you in a forthright manner, but I am afraid that I cannot explain unless you are willing to suspend your disbelief and simply listen."   
  
"Obi-Wan…" Qui-Gon began, before hesitating and beginning again. "Padawan, I will listen to whatever it is you wish to tell me, but there is much you do not know. The Council fears that you have been training with the Sith, and might be contaminated by the Darkside."   
  
To Qui-Gon's surprise, Obi-Wan laughed at his Master's declaration. "I assure you, Master, the Council could not be closer to the truth, yet so far away at the same time."   
  
Leaning back on the sofa and bringing a hand up to rub at the bridge of his nose, Qui-Gon sighed. "Very well, perhaps you should simply explain to me as best you can then."   
  
Accepting his Master's capitulation with a mere nod, Obi-Wan began his tale of tragedy, despair and, finally, hope.   
  
*********************************************   
  
The story was too incredible not to believe, and he had witnessed the evidence of it himself, yet Qui-Gon's first thought was to take his Padawan to the Healer's ward for a psych evaluation. It was impossible that the young man who sat before him had lived such a life of hardship and sorrow, and yet the shadows that danced in the stormy eyes convinced him. The boy who sat before him was not the one he had trained for the past decade, but instead was a Jedi Master in his own right. Although he was confused, and saddened by his own part in Obi-Wan's horrible previous existence, Master Jinn found he could not be more proud of his Padawan's actions and determination.   
  
"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon began at the end of the long and tragic tale, "or should I call you Master Kenobi?" he added, wishing to again see the sparkle of humor within the eyes that had seen too much. When Obi-Wan responded with a slight smile, he continued. "We must take this information to the Council at once. They need to know of the Sith uprising."   
  
"And Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, though he already knew the answer. The choked expression on his Master's face spoke quite elegantly.   
  
"Anakin is the Chosen One," Qui-Gon stated, missing the slight flinch his words brought to the other man. "He must be trained, he is too dangerous otherwise."   
  
"Anakin is dangerous whether he is trained or not!" Obi-Wan erupted, jumping to his feet and moving to pace the small apartment. Though he enjoyed the benefits of his return to youth, he found the excess energy somewhat trying to deal with. "You must see that. I watched as he destroyed everything and everyone I ever loved, leaving the Galaxy a dangerous and deadly pit of despair."   
  
"But he did bring balance to the Force," Qui-Gon replied calmly, as he watched Obi-Wan pace in front of him. "He did what he was required to do, and you cannot fault him for that. It is his duty, his place within prophecy, to do so."   
  
"You are defending his actions?" the younger Jedi exclaimed, his shock and amazement apparent in the sudden halting of all his movement. "You are honestly going to sit there and tell me that he was right to slaughter the Jedi Order, and to destroy the very Republic that you have sworn to protect!"   
  
"The Jedi Order has become complacent, and the Senate is more and more inefficient each day," Master Jinn explained. "There is a great need for change, and entropy is a fact of all systems, whether they are the government or the Jedi Order. Anakin Skywalker is merely the agent of such change."   
  
Shutting his eyes briefly and releasing his anger and frustration to the Force, Obi-Wan sighed. "All of those years on Tatooine, I used to dream of the day when I could finally see you again, and explain to you all that had happened in my life. I used to pretend that you were with me, and I'd talk to you each and every day during my exile. I knew, I _knew, _that you would understand and that you would admit you had been wrong to cause the one person who had loved you unconditionally so much pain."   
  
Opening his eyes again, and revealing the haunted gaze, Obi-Wan continued. "I know that it was selfish to wish you would ever apologize for what you had done to me, to the Order, and to the galaxy at large, but I could not help it. I needed to forgive you, and that was the only way that I could do so."   
  
Rising to his feet, Qui-Gon attempted to reach for his apprentice. He could feel the agony and desolation that rolled off of the young man before him, and his compassionate nature could not allow him to let it pass without an attempt to console. Instead, Obi-Wan stepped back and turned his back on him.   
  
"Padawan, I…" Qui-Gon started, only to be cut off by the curt voice of a Master Jedi that issued forth from the young man before him.   
  
"I am not your Padawan, and you will not address me as such," Obi-Wan replied coldly. "I can see that my efforts here are wasted, and I still have much work to do." Moving toward the doorway, without even turning to face his former Master, the younger Jedi exited the room.


	8. 8

Leaving his Master's, _former Master's _he corrected, chambers, Obi-Wan wanted nothing more than to find a nice quite place to meditate and release his anger and frustration into the Force. Instead he continued on, as he always had and he always would. There was still work to be done, and somehow he knew that time was running out.   
  
Heading toward the archives, where he could access a terminal, Obi-Wan drew his hastily grabbed robe on and pulled the hood up over his face. Normally a Jedi would not wear his hood in the Temple, and to do so signaled that he did not wish to be spoken to. Rounding the last corner that stood between him and the data terminals, he was stopped cold by a familiar voice just ahead that sent chills down his spine.   
  
"I don't know what happened," the soft toned voice complained, "I've tried to contact him, but its almost as if he is avoiding me."   
  
"Perhaps something happened on his last mission that he isn't yet ready to discuss," another voice interjected, the familiarity of it almost bringing tears to Obi-Wan's eyes. Somehow in all of his planning and plotting and dreaming, he had forgotten that there were so many others who he had dearly missed. To hear their voices, and to again know that they were alive without being able to see them or speak to them was gut-wrenching.   
  
"Master Jinn must have done something then," the first voice declared. "Obi wouldn't have ever done anything that would make him ashamed enough to avoid his friends. He just isn't like that."   
  
"Bant, I'm sure that if Obi wanted to talk to us, he would," the masculine voice stated calmly, though the tones were far more distraught than what Obi-Wan remembered ever hearing before. "I think you are jumping to conclusions about what you overheard. It is simply inconceivable to believe that the Council would ever put their prize Padawan under house arrest or accuse him of training in the Darkside."   
  
Until the last sentence, Obi-Wan had almost decided that his reservations were ridiculous, and that he deserved the chance to see his old friends again. N'erak's last comment, however, reminded him that time was running out, and that as much as he wanted to spend time with Bant and N'erak, the opportunity just wasn't there. Drawing his cloak even tighter around his face, and concealing his Force-signature as he had learned to do during the long days of evading Imperial scouts, Obi-Wan brushed past those he had once considered to be his best friends without them even realizing he had been there.   
  
*********************************************   
  
Within his quarters, Qui-Gon again knelt in meditation, this time on the sturdy mat that his apprentice had bought for him on his last naming day. _Actually, I guess from his perspective, he bought it for me several decades ago, _he realized inanely as he tried to focus and center his churning thoughts. The story was fantastic, and the Master could tell that Obi-Wan was leaving out details, but he had seen the proof with his own eyes, and the Force itself told him that his Padawan was speaking the truth.   
  
_Is Anakin really a danger, or was it simply because he was not trained well? _Although he had the utmost faith in his Padawan's abilities, he knew first hand how difficult it was to become a Master to a difficult Padawan, and as he, himself, had failed so miserably with Xanatos, he could not discount that Obi-Wan may have done the same with Anakin. _Anakin Skywalker is the Chosen One, and he will bring balance to the Force, but at what cost? _  
  
As his certainty of the necessity of training Anakin and his belief in his Padawan's utter conviction that the boy was dangerous warred with each other within his mind, the Jedi Master was interrupted from his meditations by an incessant chiming. Opening his eyes and releasing a disgusted sigh, he rose gracefully to his feet and moved to take a seat in front of the disruptive comm. unit. Entering his passcode, he awaited the urgent message that was chiming so diligently. When his message account opened and revealed an empty folder, he frowned. _The only messages that can be coded as urgent must come from the Jedi Council or directly from the Galactic Senate. Why would either send a message to Obi-Wan? _  
  
Briefly considering the ramifications of his actions, but deciding that the truth was too important to ignore, Qui-Gon used his override to access his Padawan's account. As he waited for the message to open on the screen, he began to feel a faint tingling in the Force. It was almost as if it were warning him to be prepared for whatever might lie ahead. After closing his eyes briefly to release his increasing tension, Qui-Gon reopened his eyes to focus on the short message on the screen before him. Frowning, he advanced the screen so that he could view the message that was being replied to. As the two short lines of text played across the screen he gasped in a sudden realization.   
  
Moving from the comm. unit so quickly that he knocked the chair over backwards, Qui-Gon hesitated only long enough to grab his robe and lightsaber from the hook by the door before barreling out into the Temple halls, again in search of his errant apprentice.   
  
*********************************************   
  
Reading the message, Obi-Wan released a pent breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding. _So this is it… everything I have worked for my entire… lives… comes down to this moment. _Stretching over the back of the hard wood chair in front of the archive terminal, he brought his hands up to rub almost painfully across his eyes. After only a moment, he again leaned forward, lowering his hands to erase the message from the terminal before rising to his feet and exiting the archives.   
  
*********************************************   
  
After ringing the door chime several times with no answer, Anakin began to grow impatient. He knew that Master Jinn had to be in his quarters; since that is the only place he hadn't looked. _All right, if you aren't going to come out, I'm going to come in _he grumbled as he surreptitiously studied the surrounding hallway before going to work in overriding the door lock. It was an easy task for a boy who had built an entire pod racer on his own, and in a matter of minutes he was safely ensconced in the homey-feeling environment.   
  
Taking a moment to just soak up the atmosphere of the well lived in rooms, Anakin closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He missed his mother more than he ever would have thought possible, and even this slight reminder of a friendly atmosphere was enough to bring tears to his eyes. His quarters in the initiate dorms were cold and sterile, much like the rest of the Jedi Temple, and to be accurate, the Jedi in general. Only Master Qui-Gon seemed to be more than just a cold-hearted authoritarian, and Anakin was desperate to see him.   
  
Reopening his eyes, he quickly searched the apartments, realizing immediately that Master Jinn was not there. "Great, now what am I supposed to do," he muttered, before his gaze fell on the overturned chair before the comm. unit. His curiosity overcoming whatever caution he may have felt, the young boy set to work immediately on the terminal, bringing up the last few messages and programs that had been viewed. He scanned quickly through some odd data about the Chancellor before an outgoing message caught his attention. It had been sent from Obi-Wan's account, and the message itself was quite cryptic.   
  
_I know who you are.   
Level 16, 18:00 _  
  
Though he stared at the message for several moments, Anakin could not discern what the meaning was behind it. All he could tell was that it had been sent to someone in the Galactic Senate. Deciding that the message wasn't important, Anakin continued to scan through the rest of the saved pathways until he came to the last one. Studying the message, he immediately discerned that the sender was Chancellor Palpatine, and again it was only a small cryptic message.   
  
_Agreed. _  
  
Though he had no idea what the messages meant, it was apparent that Master Qui-Gon had been strongly affected by them. It was easy to deduce that the Jedi Master must have opened the messages and read them, causing him to leave the room so quickly that he didn't even bother to right the tipped chair. Sighing, Anakin studied the chrono on the wall. Bringing up a map of Coruscant on the terminal, the young boy studied the layout of the Jedi Temple in relation to the only open area of Level 16. Quickly logging off of the system, Anakin jumped to his feet and raced from the apartments as quickly as his short legs would carry him. If he hurried, he would make it just in time…


	9. 9

The place was well chosen, secluded enough that there would be no unexpected guests, yet open enough to provide more than one exit if necessary. Palpatine felt his admiration for his unknown adversary ratchet up a notch. It was a place he, himself, might have chosen had he been given the opportunity; but instead, he found himself called from his palatial quarters with little or no knowledge about the one who had summoned him.   
  
Though normally the Sith Lord would have sent someone else to the meeting, or in the very least, would have taken back-up; Sidious found that he was too intrigued to leave this to one of his subordinates, or to risk losing the chance for a meeting because he had brought along a security detail. Although it was indeed a risk for him to have come alone, Sidious felt there was not much he had to fear. He was as well trained in the Dark arts of the Force as Master Yoda was trained in the Light, after all.   
  
"I didn't actually expect you to come," a soft voice hissed from the deep shadows. "I figured you would send one of your lackeys instead."   
  
"And ignore such a gracious invite?" Palpatine answered, straining to make out the identity of the hooded figure. As if his gaze had acted as a summons, the man detached from the shadows and pushed his hood back. "Padawan Kenobi… this is certainly a surprise."   
  
Ignoring the Politician's attempts at courtesy, Obi-Wan huffed lightly. "I know who you are, and I know what you have planned. You will not get away with it."   
  
Narrowing his eyes, Palpatine was silent as he studied the desperate fervor apparent in both the posture and within the eyes of the young man before him. When he next spoke, it was in the deep raspy voice of an ancient Sith Lord, instead of the casual platitudes of an oiled politician. "And what exactly do you think you know, young one?" Sidious hissed, already having determined that the young Jedi would not live long enough to reveal his information, however valid or invalid, to another.   
  
"I know that you are, even as we speak, working to create a clone army with the help of the Kaminoan Cloners. I know that you are in contact with Master Dooku, and that you are working to convince him to join you in replacement of your fallen apprentice, Maul. I know that your plans include complete and total domination of the Galaxy, and more than that, I know that this time you will fail," the young Jedi growled, though he did not move from his position several meters away from the Sith Lord.   
  
His mind working rapidly to discover how the Jedi had uncovered so much, Sidious almost missed the blatant clue that the young man inadvertently dropped. His politician's training, however, caught the phrase. _"This time?" _Sidious wondered, keeping his expression studiously blank as he studied his young opponent in an entirely different light. _Perhaps young Kenobi has usefulness beyond my simply killing him… _  
  
Playing along and pretending that he had not caught Kenobi's slip, Sidious questioned the young man. "And how is it you have come to know so much, young Jedi?"   
  
Noting that the Sith did not even attempt to deny any of the accusations, Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed. "I have my sources," he answered bluntly, even as his hand slipped ever closer to the lightsaber loosely attached to his utility belt.   
  
"Well, then," Palpatine replied, his voice once again the calm tones of the politician, "I guess the question is, what do you plan to do with this information?"   
  
*********************************************   
  
Although things were proceeding according to plan, Obi-Wan could not help but feel wary. He had not spent decades fleeing from the Empire without learning just how devious Sidious could be. Of course, this time, Obi-Wan held the upper hand, while the future-Emperor was working without full knowledge of the situation.   
  
During his long years of exile on Tatooine, Ben Kenobi had frequented several of the bars on the small planet, sitting quietly and listening to the smuggler's tales, seeking out the bits of information about the Rebellion and Skywalker's other child. Although the smuggler's stories tended to be inflated and exaggerated, Ben was usually able to isolate the small and precious bits of real information conveyed. Of course, the smugglers were not without their bravado, and several had made claims as to what would happen should they ever catch the Emperor alone. Though their stories were rather amusing, Ben tended to ignore them unless there was no better information available. There was one story, however, that had caught his attention.   
  
The smuggler had obviously seen better days, as the deep scars crossing his face and arms attested to, but it was apparent that his mind was still as sharp as ever. He was a frequent patron of the bar Ben usually visited, but he rarely, if ever, spoke. Instead, he seemed to have been content to simply sit back and listen, occasionally guffawing at some of the more wild tales. On this particular day, though, there was something slightly different about the man. His eyes, though usually opaque and unreadable, appeared almost haunted, and his posture spoke of a deep despair. When he began to speak, the silence in the bar was so pervasive that the slight scratching of sand against the establishment's dirty windows sounded almost loud.   
  
"Ya'll speak as if you'd ever actually have a shot at that svetch," the man grumbled, his inner core accent in direct contrast to the outer rim curse. "No one gets near that man unless his lapdog, Vader, allows it," he continued.   
  
"Oh, and I bet you've got a better plan on how to rid the Galaxy of him, eh?" one of the younger smugglers laughed, as his buddies thumped him on the back.   
  
"Ain't no way to get to him alone," the older smuggler replied gruffly, "but wouldn't be that hard to take a bunch of 'em out at once."   
  
"You actually think you'd get a bomb anywhere within a parsec of the Imperial Center?" another man laughed. "You're just plain nuts."   
  
The laughter within the bar droned out the man's response to all but Ben, who's enhanced hearing caught the man's garbled reply. "T'ain't no need to get a bomb to him, just have to get him to level 16…"   
  
*********************************************   
  
Although he couldn't make out the words, even with his enhanced Jedi senses, Qui-Gon could clearly hear two separate voices ahead of him. _Obi-Wan, what have you gotten yourself into? _He wondered as he identified the one voice as Chancellor Palpatine. Although he had tried to come up with an explanation for the cryptic messages that didn't lead to the horrifying conclusion that the recently elected Chancellor was the Sith Lord, even Qui-Gon had to admit defeat. There simply was no other explanation for Obi-Wan's behavior.   
  
"… I have my sources."   
  
Although the accent and tone was distinctively that of his Padawan's, the cold edge behind it was something Qui-Gon had never before heard from Obi-Wan, not even when he was young and continuously fighting with Bruck Chun. Keeping his presence within the Force concealed, the Master Jedi continued to move closer and closer to the dimly light section where he could just barely make out the forms of Chancellor Palpatine and Obi-Wan.   
  
"… what do you plan to do with this information?" the Chancellor asked, causing Qui-Gon to wonder at the sudden shift in the politician's tones. The man had begun to speak in the voice so familiar to the entire Galaxy, before switching to a deeper, raspier voice. Now, he once again used the composed, modulated tones of a trained politician.   
  
"I guess that depends on you," Obi-Wan returned, calmly, yet coldly; his even tones only broken by the sound of his lightsaber activating.   
  
Although he had intended on waiting, Qui-Gon could not simply stand by and permit his Padawan to kill in cold blood. Despite all he had learned of Sidious's future atrocities, the Jedi Master would not allow one so bright in the Force as Obi-Wan to fall to the Darkside. "Obi-Wan, don't do this!" he yelled, his hand reaching for and engaging his own lightsaber as he burst out of the shadows.   
  
*********************************************   
  
Sneaking out of the Temple had not proven difficult, but finding his way through the twisting and turning streets of the Republic Capital was almost too difficult for the young Tatooine native to handle. Not only did he have to worry about which direction to head, but he also needed to find the correct lifts to carry him from level to level. Some of the lifts stopped on every odd level, while others stopped on every even level and still others seemed to have no set pattern he could discern.   
  
"This is impossible!" Anakin grumbled, as he found himself on a wrong lift yet again. This one would deposit him on levels 13-15 or levels 21-30. Huffing in irritation, he choose to exit on level 15, hoping that he might find some sort of ladder to convey him up the final distance.   
  
As the lift chimed, and the doors opened, Anakin scuttled out into an oppressive darkness. Though he had been used to the night cycle of Tatooine, he had never before experienced such total blackness. He could not even see the hand that he waved before his face. "Oh, isn't this just perfect," he complained as he searched his pockets for the glow rod he always kept on him. Igniting the small stick provided some illumination, but barely enough for him to see more than a few meters in any direction. Sighing heavily, he began his search.   
  
*********************************************   
  
"I guess that depends on you," Obi-Wan stated, as he simultaneously reached for and ignited his lightsaber. In his other hand, he clutched the small thermo-nuclear detonator he had pilfered from the Temple stores on his way out. Though the Jedi did not often have use for such items, the Temple stores were nothing if not completely efficient.   
  
The small explosive device, in and of itself, was not powerful enough to cause much damage; but when combined with the exceedingly oxygen rich atmosphere of the sixteenth level, it would prove to be quite potent. Though the blast radius would only extend to the unoccupied levels just above and just below, it would obliterate anything and everything organic on level 16. Though it meant that the colonies of Cinavus fungus that grew so abundantly on the level would be destroyed, Obi-Wan was willing to sacrifice the odiferous mold in order to save the Galaxy from the reign of Sidious. Although the fungus only grew on that level for some unexplained reason, Obi-Wan doubted that anyone would notice its absence… other than to perhaps note the sudden decrease of oxygen on the abandoned level.   
  
Though he had planned this moment, if only in his dreams, for decades, Obi-Wan was still uncertain as to whether his plan would actually work. He knew for certain that Sidious would die, but the question remained as to whether or not he would survive. He has spent many long and lonely hours obsessing over this plan, which at the time he had thought useless, but as with most things, he could not be completely sure that everything would work as planned. He needed Sidious to expend enough energy trying to kill him that the Sith could not block the effects of the explosion, but he also needed to conserve enough of his own energy to save himself. Though he would have the advantage of knowing when the blast wave would hit, it would still be a difficult proposition at best.   
  
_Well, here goes nothing _he thought, as he brought his lightsaber up, effectively challenging the Sith.   
  
*********************************************   
  
The distraction was exactly what he did not need. Though he had felt his Master approaching on some level, Obi-Wan had successfully ignored it as he concentrated solely on the Sith. Now, however, as the lightening ripped through his body, he wished he had paid closer attention to Qui-Gon's approach.   
  
The sudden appearance of the Jedi Master had distracted him just enough that the first volley of Force-lightening from the threatened Sith Lord had broken through his defenses. Though he had managed to bring his lightsaber up to block the rest, the damage had been done. His timing was off, and his motions were slowed by the agony that sung through his veins. Despite that, he still managed to prevent any of the Dark energy from striking Qui-Gon or himself, though the effort drained his energy far more than he could afford.   
  
For his part, Sidious kept up the lightening volley, apparently sensing the waning strength of the younger Jedi. Though he normally would have retreated from the confrontation, the Chancellor could not allow the two Jedi to escape with their knowledge of his identity. Sidious was confident enough in his abilities that he knew they would tire much sooner than he would.   
  
Feeling his energy waning, Obi-Wan knew that he needed to activate the detonator sooner, rather than later. Using even more energy he could not afford to spare, the former Jedi Master turned Padawan reopened the training bond he shared with Qui-Gon. \\Qui-Gon, you must conserve your energy and use it to create a Force bubble around you\\   
  
\\Obi-Wan, we must retreat. We can return with the Council Members and take Palpatine into custody\\ Qui-Gon declared as he continued to deflect the Dark energy with his emerald 'saber.   
  
\\No! This is our only chance to get rid of him. If we leave now, he will simply find a way to return to power later\\ Turning his head just slightly enough that his determined gaze could settle on his former Master, Obi-Wan continued. \\You need to form a Force bubble around yourself now. I am going to set off this detonator, and if you do not do as I tell you, you will die\\   
  
Taking in the set expression and stormy gaze, Qui-Gon nodded and immediately began to draw energy to himself, feeling his apprentice doing the same. The Light energy gathered within him, and he compressed it into a tight ball deep within his being, waiting for Obi-Wan's sign to release it into a temporary Force shield. Though it was not a technique commonly used, it was one that both the Master and the apprentice had found useful on their many harrowing missions.   
  
Once he had gathered enough energy, Qui-Gon nodded slightly to Obi-Wan. Inclining his head in acknowledgement, the younger Jedi deflected another bolt of Dark energy, before reaching down quickly to activate the detonator. Tossing it in the general direction of the distracted Sith, Obi-Wan shouted the command to his Master to release the Force energy.   
  
*********************************************   
  
Ten years of close training, and a lifetime thereafter of avoiding, had imprinted the Force signature of Anakin Skywalker deeply into the psyche of Obi-Wan Kenobi. It was perhaps for that reason, that he alone sensed the approach of the young boy.   
  
*********************************************   
  
The slight thump as the device landed and rolled caught Sidious's attention, momentarily distracting him from his assault on the two Jedi. Looking down, he immediately identified the small device. Trying to draw on the Dark Force to create a Force shield around himself, Palpatine was dismayed to find that his energy levels were too drained. Not one to simply give up, Sidious realized that he did not have time to escape the blast, but that certainly did not mean he had to be the only one to be killed.   
  
Using the remaining energy he had gathered to him, Sidious unleashed one final volley of Dark energy, directing the sinister blue lightning bolts directly toward the young Jedi that had destroyed him. As the last of the energy escaped his body, the detonator activated.   
  
*********************************************   
  
Grumbling every step of the way, Anakin finally encountered a service ladder that appeared to ascend all the way to the sixteenth level. He had already attempted to climb one, only to find that it ended abruptly several hundred meters from the access panel to the next level. This time, he made certain that it extended all of the way before he began to climb.   
  
He was only halfway up the ladder when he began to feel the slight tremors in the Force. Although he was not skilled enough in Force-control to accurately identify the phenomenon, it felt almost as if the Force was warring with itself. _Maybe this is the "Darkside" that all of the instructors keep talking about _Deciding to be more cautious in his approach, since he could not be certain of what was causing the odd tremors, Anakin slowed down and tried to move as silently as possible.   
  
Nearing the top of the ladder, Anakin gently pulled himself up the final few meters without making a sound. Once he stood upright on the sixteenth level, he began to move stealthily toward where he could just make out the sounds of a battle. He was almost there when he heard Obi-Wan's voice call out, "NOW!" Curiosity gaining the best of him, he tried to move forward to where he could see what was happening, but swiftly found himself encased in some sort of Force shield. Trying to fight his way out of it, he didn't even notice the shock wave of the blast approaching until it had lifted him off of his feet and thrown him solidly into the nearby wall.   
  
*********************************************   
  
Having been Obi-Wan's Master for so many years, Qui-Gon found that he had developed almost a "danger sense" when it came to the young man. Though the Master/Apprentice team did seem to draw an inordinate number of difficult missions, it still seemed that Obi-Wan managed to injure himself more often than most. Though his bond with his Padawan had become noticeably strained in the past few hours, the Master Jedi still knew immediately when Obi-Wan was in danger.   
  
Acting without thinking, Qui-Gon threw himself at Obi-Wan, driving the younger Jedi to the ground with the force of his leap just as the detonator activated. Shielding his Padawan's body with his own, and with the assistance of the Force-shield, the Master Jedi waited for the shock waves from the blast to pass before he rolled painfully to his feet.   
  
Wincing as he stood up, he reached a hand down to draw his apprentice to his feet as well, only to notice that Obi-Wan had not yet moved from his prone position. Leaning down to gently roll the younger Jedi over, Qui-Gon was distracted by a low groan that was emitted just behind him. Calling his lightsaber to his hand, the elder Jedi swiveled on his heel and turned to face his enemy.   
  
Scanning the slightly smoky atmosphere of the level, Qui-Gon used the glow from his 'saber to help light the area. Moving toward where he had last seen the Sith Lord, he was surprised to find only the empty cloak that the Chancellor had been wearing. Prodding it gently with his boot, he realized that the Sith was truly dead and gone. Just as he was about to turn back to Obi-Wan, another low moan called his attention to the small figure slumped against the wall.   
  
"Anakin?" he called, quickly dropping to his knees by the young boy to assess his condition. Once assured that he was healthy, other than a slight concussion, Qui-Gon gently roused him.   
  
"What happened?" Anakin groaned as his blue eyes flickered open and settled on Qui-Gon's concerned gaze.   
  
"I'm not sure," the Jedi Master admitted as he helped the young boy to his feet, "but I must see to Obi-Wan. I fear he may have been injured."   
  
Biting his lip to keep from responding, Anakin followed docilely behind as the elder Jedi returned to his fallen apprentice. Rolling the younger Jedi over slowly, Qui-Gon could not hold back the gasp as he took in his Padawan's appearance. At the slight noise, Obi-Wan's eyelids flickered open, and his stormy gaze settled on his Master.   
  
"Maaahhhster?" he asked, his voice slurred and raspy.   
  
"Shh, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon hushed. "Everything is going to be just fine. We just need to get you to the Temple Healers."   
  
Ignoring his Master's response, Obi-Wan's gaze instead settled on the pale young boy behind Qui-Gon. "Take… care… of him… pllleease," he rasped, the last word drawn out in a pain-filled hiss.   
  
As his eyes suddenly filled with tears, Anakin nodded softly. "I promise that I will."   
  
Accepting the boy's promise with a slight, agonized nod, Obi-Wan softly smiled as his gaze returned to his Master. "He is the… Chosen One. Train… him… well." With one last smile that was only a shadow of its usual brilliance, the Force once again claimed its own, leaving behind a grieving Jedi Master, and a young boy who had a life full of destiny ahead.


	10. 10

The stream burbled happily, the sun shone brightly, and Natira stood with a slightly bemused smile awaiting him. "You seem to have misunderstood," she stated bluntly as Obi-Wan approached her.   
  
"I didn't exactly intend to die," he retorted. "Plus I thought there'd be some kind of insurance or something to prevent me from dying until I'd gotten the chance to live out my life. Didn't you tell me that I would get to live the consequences of my changes in some form of accelerated mode?"   
  
Motioning for Obi-Wan to sit beside her, Natira made herself comfortable along the bank of the stream. Something in the way she sat reminded him almost of Master Yoda; not in age but rather somehow in wisdom and foreknowledge. "I did not promise you anything, as it would be impossible to predict what all of the consequences of your actions might be," she corrected, her deep indigo eyes studying him. "I told you that you would have the chance to live out each of your changed existences, but I had no way of knowing that you would choose to throw yourself into the middle of an explosion on your very first attempt."   
  
"Well, I couldn't exactly allow Anakin to die," Obi-Wan countered. "He is the Chosen One, and I could never forgive myself if I allowed anything to happen to him. I was his Master for too long to not harbor some affection for him even now after all that has happened. Next time, I'll just have to make sure that Anakin remains in the Temple when I face Sidious."   
  
"Next time?" Natira asked, raising one perfectly styled eyebrow.   
  
"Yes," he stated, leaning back on his elbows to watch as the puffy clouds floated past overhead. "Now I know what to expect, it shouldn't be all that difficult to repeat it, but to make it actually work this time."   
  
"You cannot repeat the same day," Natira explained, expecting but not reacting to his outrage as he suddenly turned to her. "You are only allowed to repeat each day of your life once."   
  
"What do you mean I cannot repeat the same day? You never told me that," Obi-Wan exclaimed, his eyes blazing with pent up emotion.   
  
"You didn't ask," she replied simply.   
  
Sighing and flopping down again on his back as he brought a hand up to cover his eyes, Obi-Wan allowed himself to experience each of his emotions before releasing them. The anger and shock were expected; the sense of betrayal, however, was unexpected. "Why didn't you tell me?" he questioned, his voice slightly muffled from where his arm still lay over his face.   
  
"You were so eager to return," Natira sighed. "Had I known that you would risk your life so foolishly, you can be assured that I would have further explained it to you. I would have never expected such recklessness from you."   
  
"It may have been a repeat of my life," Obi-Wan argued, "but that did not mean that I could simply sacrifice other people's lives so that mine would go better. Anakin had good in him, he proved that absolutely even after spending decades as Darth Vader. I could not simply let him die anymore than I could have killed him in my first life."   
  
"Your selflessness makes this more difficult than it has to be," she commented dryly as she idly scratched at the shale she sat upon. "I could never expect you to be totally selfish, but this is your chance to have a better life, yet you seem to refuse to embrace it."   
  
Sitting up and resting his chin on his drawn up knees, Obi-Wan turned to regard Natira. "I could never be happy if I knew that my joy had come at a cost to someone else," he sighed. "I would never hurt another just to make my life easier."   
  
Turning from her contemplation of the shale, Natira smiled softly. "I guess that is why the Force decided to give you this opportunity… you have definitely earned it."   
  
Smiling sheepishly, Obi-Wan silently watched the ebb and flow of the small stream. After several moments had passed, he spoke. "Are there any other rules I should know about?"   
  
Offering an enigmatic look, Natira shook her head. "There are no "rules" per say, just impossibilities, and unfortunately I don't know what those are until you try them."   
  
Sighing heavily, Obi-Wan nodded. "Well, since there's only one way to find out what other "rules" I may wish to break, let's get to it."   
  
"You have decided what other day you would like to revisit?" she asked, the question apparent in her dark indigo eyes.   
  
"Yes," he stated simply, rising to his feet and offering a hand to Natira. Pulling her almost effortlessly to her feet, he offered his own enigmatic smile. "I definitely know what other day I would like the chance to change."


	11. 11

It was only his Jedi reflexes, or perhaps it was some part memory, that enabled him to block the incoming strike.  The sulfurous gases burned his eyes, and the intense heat made breathing difficult, but even the rumblings of the volcano could not block out the venomous words.

"You are jealous of me!  It's your fault that Padmé left; you just couldn't handle the fact that I had someone in my life that truly loved me!" Anakin yelled, his words punctuated by the swift flashes of his azure lightsaber. 

"Anakin," Obi-Wan began, his voice cracking not so much from the sulfur fumes, but rather from the sudden onslaught of emotion.  He had known that repeating this day would be difficult, but he had never imagined just how horrible it would really be.

"Shut up!" Anakin hissed, interrupting before Obi-Wan could finish.  "I am so tired of your lies, and your lessons and lectures.  You think you know so much? You think that you and the rest of your kind are the greatest thing this galaxy has ever seen? Well, let me tell you; you and the rest of the Jedi are ancient history.  You are all dead; you just don't know it yet."

"Padawan, I…"

"I am **not **your Padawan!  Even when I let you call me that, I was always superior to you.  I know what it means to live, I know what love is and what life is; you know nothing of the sort!" Anakin continued to advance, pushing the other Jedi farther and farther toward the edge of the volcanic rupture.  The heat was intensifying and the ground became more pocketed and unstable underfoot.  "You took me from my mother, and then you wouldn't let me go to her even when I knew she was dying.  Now you are trying to do the same thing with Padmé.  I can't just sit back and allow you to do this again, Mas…"  The words stopped, as Anakin realized what he had almost said.

His eyes blurring from more than just the deadly fumes, Obi-Wan reconsidered his plans, and realized there was only one way to get through to Anakin before it was too late.  "You're right," he whispered, lowering his own blade and taking a step back from his enraged apprentice.

"What did you say?" Anakin growled, his blue eyes still blazing with anger, but now showing signs of confusion as well.

"I said that you're right," Obi-Wan replied, his accent deepening as it always did when he actually allowed his emotions free reign.  Recognizing that fact, Anakin remained silent, even lowering his own blade to hear the other man out.  "I should have forced the Council to allow you to go to your Mother, or I should have insisted that she accompany us from Tatooine in the first place.  It was wrong to try to break that bond, and it cost you too much."

Stunned speechless, Anakin took a step back from Obi-Wan, leaning heavily against the pocked wall as if all of the fight had drained out of him.  His eyes showed a stunned comprehension that gave Obi-Wan the courage to continue.

"What you have with Padmé is not wrong, and the Order is wrong to try to prohibit something so important as love.  What is love, if not a logical extension of the compassion we strive for everyday?  Though our work may threaten those we have attachments too, it is not right to prohibit something so natural and so… human," Obi-Wan stated softly, his voice only hitching slightly.  "Love and attachment are not bad, but if we do things that hurt others in the name of love, then perhaps it is not really love."

"I love Padmé!" Anakin argued, but the threat was gone from his voice.  He instead sounded more like the lost little boy who's nightmares Obi-Wan had once soothed.

"But would she approve of some of the things you have done, supposedly to protect her?" Obi-Wan asked, daring to take a step toward his apprentice.

"I had to, I couldn't allow those men to live after what they had tried to do to her!  Her life would have always been in danger as long as they still lived."

"You allowed your love for her to turn into anger against anyone who would dare to hurt her," Obi-Wan corrected.  "And that has lead you dangerously close to the Darkside.  Do you think that Padmé would've left you simply for trying to protect her?  Is her love for you really that weak?"

"She… is afraid of me," Anakin admitted softly, his lightsaber switching off as he released his grip on the activation switch.  Obi-Wan, in turn, deactivated his own blade and reattached it to his belt.  

"It is not too late, Anakin," he said gently as he closed the remaining distance between the two.  "She loves you… and so do I."

At Obi-Wan's admission, Anakin's head snapped up, his blue eyes wide.  Smiling softly, Obi-Wan chuckled.  "You really didn't think that you could consider me as your father-figure without me having some kind of feelings in return, now did you?"

"But, but…" Anakin stuttered, "you are a Jedi.  You aren't allowed to love."

"You are a Jedi as well," Obi-Wan pointed out, "and that hasn't seemed to stop you from feeling."  Putting his hand around Anakin's shoulder, Obi-Wan began to lead the younger man back the way they had come; away from the fiery destiny that had once claimed both of them.  "As a matter of fact," Obi-Wan began, gracing his apprentice with a self-deprecating smile, "there was once a time I left the Jedi Order for a woman… well, actually I guess a girl, to be specific." 

"You left the Jedi!" Anakin exclaimed, as he allowed his Master to lead him gently from the blazing hell of the volcanic rupture.  A sudden ominous rumble, however, cut off his further comment.  Fate, it seemed, was unwilling to allow her sacrifice to pass so simply.  As the two Jedi immediately froze in place, the rumble grew and the sound of splitting rock began to deafen them.

"Go Anakin!" Obi-Wan yelled as he pushed his apprentice in front of him, urging him to flee before the rapidly approaching crack in the rock.  The fiery split gaped like a smile looking straight into hell, and despite their Force-enhanced speed, it continued to gain on the two Jedi.

Unwilling to lose his apprentice again to the blazing depths, Obi-Wan continued to push Anakin ahead of him, unaware of the diverging crack that had begun to spread in their path.  It was only as Anakin let out a shout and stumbled to a halt, that the elder Jedi realized how well and truly trapped they were.  Rapidly studying their surroundings, Obi-Wan realized that their only hope lay in retreat.  Though the path back was dangerous, there was still enough of a footpath, despite the newest crack, to allow the two Jedi to pass.

Coming to the same conclusion, Anakin turned and smiled, displaying the unusual battle humor he had acquired from his Master.  "It appears that you get to lead the way this time Master."

Realizing that there was no room for Anakin to pass him, and that any aerial maneuvers were too dangerous, Obi-Wan nodded tersely.  "Let's go then," he ordered, as he began to back track.  The uneven ground and the narrow pathway made Force-speed impossible, but despite that, the two were able to move at a rapid pace.  Obi-Wan had just sighted the hazy light of day that illuminated an exit to the surface, when the rumbling suddenly stopped.  The rolling floor of the volcano ceased its dangerous dance, and Master and apprentice were again on seemingly solid ground.

Refusing to slow and desperate to reach the surface before the after-shocks could begin, Obi-Wan continued his rapid pace, hearing and feeling Anakin right at his back.  "We should be able to reach the surface in only a few more minutes," Obi-Wan called over his shoulder.

"Yes Master," Anakin replied, and Obi-Wan smiled to hear the familiar joking exasperation in his apprentice's tone.  From the earliest days of the apprenticeship, Obi-Wan had realized Anakin only said "Yes Master" when he was either stating the obvious, or otherwise frustrating his Padawan.  It had become a running joke between the two, much to the Council's dismay.

"Do you suppose that Padmé might consider taking me back?" Anakin asked softly, his voice that once again of a young, confused, man.

"I'm sure that she would, as long as you continued to work on your anger," Obi-Wan replied, glancing over his shoulder to give his apprentice a reassuring glance.  Anakin's relieved smile, drew out a return smile on the usually stern Master's face, before the expression froze.

"Master?" Anakin asked, concerned.  Before he could even complete the second syllable, the ground gave way beneath him.  It was only Obi-Wan's quick reflexes that enabled the older Jedi to grip Anakin's arm as he tumbled down toward the fiery pit beneath him.  Superheated plumes of sulfur scalded both Master and apprentice as Obi-Wan balanced precariously on the lip of the chasm, his grip the only thing keeping Anakin from certain death.

"Hold on Anakin!" Obi-Wan shouted, as he dug the toes of his boots in and began to slowly wiggle his way back.  He had drawn Anakin up to the level where the apprentice could grip the ledge for himself when the ground again cracked, almost tumbling both in.

Scrabbling for purchase, Obi-Wan stopped himself from sliding further forward.  Though the majority of his upper body now hung over the edge of the chasm, the Master would not even consider releasing the deadly grip he held on his Padawan.  "Can you rest any of your weight on the wall of the shaft?" Obi-Wan asked as he kept his eyes locked on Anakin's own blue gaze. 

Kicking carefully, Anakin shook his head.  "The lip sticks out too far.  There is only a thin slab of rock that is holding us both up."

"All right," the older Jedi sighed.  "We are just going to have to keep doing this the hard way then."  Using his free hand, Obi-Wan braced against the uneven rock that comprised the thin ledge, pushing himself back and away from the steaming abyss, dragging Anakin along with him.  When his greatest efforts only gained a few millimeters, he paused to catch his breath.  "Can you use the Force to push off of the  wall and swing up and over me?"

"I don't think the ledge would hold you if I tried it," Anakin admitted after considering the option.  His hands and face were rapidly turning a deep red as the scalding steam attacked his exposed skin.

"I did not ask if the ledge would hold me," Obi-Wan stated pointedly.  "I asked if you could do it."

"I could…" Anakin began.  

Obi-Wan interrupted before his apprentice could voice any more doubts regarding the Master's own safety.  "Then do it."

Biting his lip, Anakin hesitated before finally nodding.  His blue eyes closed, and Obi-Wan could feel the apprentice gathering the Force to him.  When the icy gaze again opened, Obi-Wan knew that Anakin was ready.  "On the count of three, I want you to direct the Force to swing you away from the wall, using my arm to lever yourself up and over me.  That should throw you far enough away that you will no longer be in danger."

"But Master," Anakin tried again; only to be cut off as Obi-Wan began the countdown.  Realizing that he would need to concentrate to make the plan work, Anakin bit back his protests and prepared to direct the Force.  As Obi-Wan reached three, he directed a powerful Force surge toward the wall he hung several meters from, using the power of the push to propel him away from it.  As he began his swing away from the wall, the sudden cracking of the rock that supported the ledge his Master rested on caught his attention.  More than that, the resigned look in Obi-Wan's eyes told him that his Master knew he would not survive Anakin's escape.

Making a quick decision, Anakin jerked his hand free from his Master's embrace, using the remaining Force energy to push Obi-Wan back and away from the ledge.  His last glimpse was of his Master's shocked and betrayed expression, before he fell too far below the level of the floor to see any longer.  He felt the Force gather around him, as Obi-Wan attempted to stop his fall and levitate him back up, but he somehow knew that even with his power as the Chosen One, nothing would stop his descent.  It was almost as if this moment was fated; as if the Force had declared this as his destiny.  

Reaching out to the all-encompassing power that surrounded him, Anakin was startled to find that it contained none of the dark shadows he had become used to.  Instead the Force surrounding him was purely of the Light; so beautiful that he almost smiled as he felt his soul enter into it.

And on the ledge far above, the agonized scream of Obi-Wan Kenobi also reached out to the Force, the tremors it created reaching all the way to the far away Capital Planet of Coruscant.  


	12. 12

The death of Anakin had nearly been his undoing, but as in all things, Obi-Wan Kenobi was a survivor.  The unwavering support of his fellow Jedi and the increasing threat of the Empire conspired to keep him from becoming engulfed in the despair he felt at his apprentice's death, instead forcing him to focus on life.  Despite his knowledge of Emperor Palpatine's tactics and goals, Obi-Wan found that the Empire was still a powerful enemy.  Sidious seemed to take some not insubstantial joy from his constant engagement with the dwindling Jedi forces, though it was apparent that the Sith Lord was rather unhappy at the loss of his prized pupil.

As the months passed and the war continued unabated the number of Jedi Knights continued to decrease.  Not only was the Empire a very real threat with the scores of bounty hunters on its payroll, but the Knights also found themselves in peril from the individuals they had once bled and even died for.  Planets where the Jedi had served as peacekeepers and mediators for centuries were now firmly in the thrall of Emperor Palpatine, taking a vicious thrill from the capture and execution of any and all Force-sensitives.  Throughout the Galaxy, the Temples of the Jedi that had stood for millennia were destroyed by angry mobs, and those Jedi who chose to remain in defense of the structures and the vast stores of knowledge within, were summarily tortured to death.

Only a few places within the known universe remained safe for Force-sensitives, and these two planets became among the best guarded in the Galaxy.  Although both planets were heavily fortified and defended, their natural beauty was still apparent.  Both planets sang strongly of the Lightside of the Force, and the native splendor of their environments was only surpassed by the beauty within the hearts and souls of their inhabitants.  The remaining Jedi and other Force-sensitives equally populated both Naboo and Alderaan, but it was Naboo that harbored the remaining few of the Jedi Council, as well as the most powerful and talented Knights of the Order.  For it was Naboo that held the two most precious lives in the Galaxy: Luke and Leia Skywalker.

The birth of Anakin's children had been a carefully concealed event, but the resulting flare in the Light from the appearance of two such gifted children could not be disguised.  Even Master Yoda could not completely shelter the twins, and it was not long before Emperor Palpatine became aware of their existence.  Although Obi-Wan was grateful that Anakin Skywalker had returned to the Light before he had fallen to his death, the resulting decrease in the power of the Darkside had made the births too obvious.  Every bounty hunter and fortune-seeker in the universe was after the two children, and it was only a matter of time before one such individual succeeded.  

The Jedi Council had met with both the ruling families of Naboo and Alderaan, and it was decided that neither planet would serve as a safe enough place to conceal the twins.  After much discussion, and much dissension, it was decided that the children would be taken to a small, uninhabited planet near the Outer Rim.  Although the planet was inhospitable at best, its powerful presence within the Living Force would help to disguise the signatures of the Skywalker heirs.  An escort of ten of the most powerful and experienced Jedi would be sent along with the children, their nannies, and Padmé Amidala Skywalker.  A small, nondescript shuttle had been appropriated for the mission, which was to be carried out with the utmost secrecy.  

Although Obi-Wan agreed with the Council's precautions and decision, he did not agree with their refusal to allow him to accompany Luke and Leia.  The Council held that he was too important, and too visible of a figure, to allow him to slip away on the mission.  It would be difficult enough to explain the absence of the former Senator, even with her continued illness; it would be simply impossible to disguise the absence of the famous Master Obi-Wan Kenobi.  Even Master Yoda was prevented from leaving immediately with the children, though he would eventually follow in order to facilitate their training.  Though Obi-Wan intellectually understood their arguments, something within the Force told him that he needed to be with the twins. Unfortunately, the Jedi Council did not feel that same "something," and denied all of his requests to accompany the mission.  Finally accepting that he would not be able to sway the Council, Obi-Wan instead worked with the group of Knights that would be accompanying the Skywalker family, making certain that each of the Jedi knew just how important the two children were to the future of the Galaxy.

Though he had only a few weeks before the mission left, Obi-Wan used that time to personally work with each of the chosen Knights, showing them every move he had ever developed in his years of experience against the Imperials.  Although the Jedi were obviously surprised at his unexpected knowledge, each of the ten took the lessons to heart, incorporating the new techniques into their own, unique, fighting styles.  Despite the brevity of the training, Obi-Wan was quite pleased with the Council's choice of Knights.  Each of the Jedi was well trained, and a Master in his or her own right, though none had a current Padawan.  The extermination of Force-sensitives throughout the Galaxy had led to a lack of initiates, even when the Temples had still been standing.  Although instructors were working rapidly to train the Force-sensitives that had fled to Naboo and Alderaan, none of the children or young adults were yet ready to take on the role of Jedi Padawan.  This lack of available Padawans would have, in the past, signified a real concern within the Jedi Order.  After the rise of the Empire, however, the fact that any parents were willing to allow their children to train with the Jedi was considered a sign of real hope.  Though the Order may have suffered many losses at the hands of the Empire and its Sith Leader, the Jedi were still persevering despite the odds.

On the night that the Skywalkers were to leave Naboo, Obi-Wan, along with several other Jedi, led a raid on the nearby Imperial center on Dantooine.  The raid was to serve as a distraction, allowing the transport to slip off Naboo undetected.  Another transport, carrying the former handmaiden Sabé and two other children, was scheduled to leave from the planet at the same time; only it was headed for Tatooine.  Although there were those on the Council that suggested that the decoy was unnecessary, Obi-Wan and Master Yoda had succeeded in convincing them that such deception was necessary to protect the twins.  Unbeknownst to any of the Jedi, Padmé Amidala Skywalker had even gone one step further, convincing her former handmaiden and friend to take one of the twins with her.  Though it hurt the young mother to separate her children, she knew that it was a necessity to insure their protection.  Slipping a Force inhibiting bracelet on the ankle of her young daughter, and a gentle kiss on her forehead, Padmé placed Leia in the trustworthy arms of Sabé before gathering Luke and the other child and boarding her transport.  Accepting the young child as the precious and priceless treasure that she was, Sabé gathered Leia to her chest as she boarded her own transport.

The raid was successfully distracting, and the launches took place undetected.  Although two Jedi were seriously wounded in the raid, it was deemed a success.  The Jedi forces had even managed to capture Imperial documents outlining the Emperor's plans to create a new superweapon that would be capable of destroying entire planets.  Obi-Wan had, of course, been aware that the Death Star would soon be built, but he had not known when or where the Empire would begin construction.  The captured documents provided specifics, even detailing where some of the components would be built.  Raids were immediately scheduled for the new targets, and the Jedi were soon so engulfed by the planning that the lack of communication from the decoy shuttle was either totally ignored or just simply dismissed.

~~~~~~

Despite the number of people, and the amount of activity that was taking place, the hanger bay of the former Theed Palace was surprisingly quiet.  Talk was confined to giving or receiving orders, and for those few pilots who were not Jedi, the silence was almost disconcerting.  Used to the idle conversation and boasts that normally occurred before a mission, the non-Jedi instead found themselves keeping the silence that pervaded the large structure.  

The unnatural quiet became even more pronounced as a sentry guard entered the hanger bearing a small package.  All of the Force-sensitives within the bay immediately halted their work and instead watched as the package was borne across the dark concrete floor toward the familiar figure of General Obi-Wan Kenobi.  The General visibly shuddered as he accepted the package from the guard, quickly scribbling his name to the proffered datapad before turning and leaving the hanger bay with the package held firmly in his grip.  As the solid steel door shut behind the General, the many Force-sensitives within the room let out an almost audible breath of relief before returning to their abandoned work.  Confused by the strange occurrence, the non-sensitive pilots waited to see if any explanation was forthcoming.  When none came, they too returned to their work, wondering just what had been in that package to so visibly upset the usually unflappable General Kenobi.

~~~~

"Received this package just now, did you?" Master Yoda questioned as he eyed the small brown parcel that sat on the table before the four Council Members.

"Yes, a sentry guard brought it to me while I was overseeing the mission preparations in the hanger bay," Obi-Wan answered solemnly.

"And there was no explanation as to where it came from?" Master Windu asked as he stretched out a hand toward the package, withdrawing it almost immediately before it had even made contact.

"None was given, though it seems that there is really no question as to who it is from," Obi-Wan replied dryly, as he watched Mace recoil from contact with the package.

"From the Emperor, it is," Yoda stated, as his ears lowered in dismay.  "No other Force user could such a powerful Darkside imprint leave."

"Have you had it scanned?" Master Gallia asked, her sightless brown eyes looking unfocusedly in the general direction of the package.  The explosion that had taken her vision had also killed several of the other Councilors, but it had done nothing to diminish her power within the Force.

"It appears to contain a datapad and some sort of bracelet," Obi-Wan offered by way of an answer.  "With your permission, I would like to open it."

Receiving nods from the Council, the General carefully drew the package to him, trying not to show a reaction to the powerful waves of Dark energy that emanated from it.  Opening the edge of the parcel, he then tilted it, allowing the contents to spill out on the table.  As the scan had suggested, only a datapad and a very small, metallic bracelet were within.  Reaching first for the bracelet, Obi-Wan cradled it within his hand as he picked up the datapad.  Activating the screen, he quickly read the short message contained on the pad.

      It seems odd that a non-Force-sensitive child would need a Force-inhibiting bracelet, now doesn't it?  Perhaps I would be amenable to a trade.  You may bring two other Jedi with you, though you are not to be armed.  Imperial City: 3 cycles.  

Replacing the datapad on the table with exceeding care, as all he really wanted to do was slam it into a million pieces, Obi-Wan paused to regain his center before speaking.  Allowing him the few moments of silence, the Council waited until the stormy blue gaze again rose from the tabletop.  "We need to contact Padmé immediately.  I think there is something she needs to tell us."


	13. 13

_I'm walking into hell… voluntarily… and I didn't even bring my lightsaber. _

The black walls glimmered with a hungry iridescence, and the white of the Storm Troopers only made the hallway seem darker.  The click of the Storm Trooper's boots echoed distinctly differently from the soft claps of the three Jedi's boots, providing a distraction for Obi-Wan to focus his mind on as he was marched swiftly toward what he was sure would be his execution.  Knights Bant and N'erak flanked him, their lightsabers held firmly within their hands.  Out of the platoon of soldiers and the Jedi Knights, only Obi-Wan Kenobi was defenseless… and somehow that was a distinction he was only peripherally aware of.  Even had he had his lightsaber with him, he knew that he would never be given the chance to use it.  Leia's life was simply too precious to risk.

The silent procession continued through the hall of the Imperial Center, drawing closer and closer toward the center chamber where the Emperor resided.  Although they were Jedi Knights, and well trained, Obi-Wan could sense as the tension within his friends ratcheted up as the Dark presence of Sidious became more and more commanding the closer they got to him.  Keeping his own hands crossed firmly within the sleeves of his robe, Obi-Wan wore his hood up, concealing his facial features.  Bant and N'erak wore their hoods down, constantly surveying the hallways and the troopers, but Obi-Wan preferred the solitude that the hood provided.  

"The Emperor is ready to see you now," the Storm Trooper closest to the Jedi trio announced as the procession came to a stop before a set of heavy ebony doors.  Making no further comment, the platoon of troopers broke formation and split into two groups, marching swiftly away from the three Knights.

"So, do you suppose we should knock?" N'erak asked, breaking the silence.

Offering a tremulous smile, Bant shook her head.  "I'm sure there's a bell around here somewhere," she responded, trying to recapture the usual sarcastic environment that abounded when the three were together.

With his head still lowered, and the hood concealing his always-readable eyes, Obi-Wan spoke.  "I appreciate all you two have done for me.  I could not have asked for better friends, nor would I want to."

"Oh, Obi…" Bant began, only to be cut off as a shudder ran through the massive doors.  A deep rumbling rang through the air as the large doors swung on their axes, opening to reveal the Emperor's inner chambers.

"I have waited a long time for this day, Obi-Wan Kenobi," the raspy tones of the Sith Lord rang out from the darkened room.  Apparently Sidious' words had acted as a signal, as a single spotlight illuminated the large throne, and the dark cloaked figure upon it as the harsh tones faded into echoes.  To the side of the mammoth throne, a black cradle rocked slowly.  Soft cooing noises came from within, but nothing could be seen but the dark blankets that hung limply over the edge.

"I demand to see the baby, before we will make any concessions or agreements," Bant declared, as she and N'erak stood at either side of Obi-Wan.

"Very well then," Sidious croaked.  "Come forward and see her then."

Exchanging a glance with N'erak, Bant tightened her hold on the hilt of her 'saber, before stepping forward to glance within the cradle.  As she neared the throne, Obi-Wan spoke for the first time.  "If you hurt her, I will not cooperate."

At first Bant thought that he was speaking of the baby Leia, but as she glanced toward the Sith, she noticed that his hands had begun to move toward the arm of his throne.  "I have no intention of hurting anyone," Sidious answered, his voice slipping into the calm platitudes he had used to gain his seat as Chancellor of the former Republic.  His dark gaze was focused solely on the hooded figure before him, paying no attention to the Jedi at his side.

Keeping her attention on Sidious, Bant moved closer until she could peer into the cradle.  As she leaned forward, she could see bright blue eyes regarding her solemnly from under a tuft of brown curly hair.  Leia seemed to recognize the presence of the Lightside of Force within Knight Bant, as she reached her arms out toward the unfamiliar face, begging silently to be picked up.  Glancing again at N'erak and Obi-Wan, Bant reached out and lifted Leia, holding her gently against her shoulder.

"Now that you have seen that the Skywalker child is unharmed, I believe we have things to discuss," Sidious declared, watching silently as Bant backed slowly away from the throne, still cradling the baby to her.

"What do you want?" Obi-Wan asked directly, as he finally reached out to lower his hood.  Bant and N'erak each had to prevent a gasp of surprise as they took in the freshly-shaven face of their usually bearded friend.  The lack of facial hair made Obi-Wan look years younger than his actual age, adding a sense of innocence to him that had been lacking since the death of his Master so many years before.

"It is not so much what I want, as what you owe to me," the Sith answered.  "You have taken three of my apprentices from me, it is only fitting that you make reparation for them."

"I will not turn to the Darkside, and I will not serve you," Obi-Wan replied, a determined certainty in his voice.

A dark chuckle answered him.  "I would never expect the darling of the Jedi Order, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, to ever turn."

"Then what do you want?" Knight N'erak questioned, as he watched Bant complete a quick medical checkup of Leia.  At her nod that the baby was unharmed, he continued. "If you know that Obi-Wan will not become your apprentice, what do you want of him?"

In answer, the Sith Lord again reached toward the arm of his throne.  Depressing an inset button, Sidious revealed a hidden chamber within the arm, much like the one that had decorated the throne of Queen Amidala during the Trade Federation Invasion. As Sidious reached into the concealed space, both Bant and N'erak tensed, with Bant switching Leia to her other arm so she could more easily wield her lightsaber.

With a smile that was closer to a grimace than an expression of joy, the Sith revealed the item he had pulled from within the compartment.  "I know you will never serve me, and that you will never turn to the Darkside.  I could ask for your death in return for the Skywalker's life, but that would be too simple."

Taking in the Force-suppression collar that now rested so menacingly on the Emperor's withered hand, Obi-Wan nodded.  "You don't want my death; you want my suffering," he surmised.

"Obi-Wan, you can't!" Bant exclaimed, echoing a similar sentiment from Knight N'erak.

Ignoring the outburst of the two other Jedi, Sidious focused solely on his prey. "I will allow your friends to leave with the child. They will be able to return to Naboo or Alderaan with no resistance."

"And I am to trust in your word?" Obi-Wan questioned dryly, as he also ignored the other Jedi.

"You will remain with me, on your word as a Jedi.  Once they are safely outside the reaches of the palace, and only when you are assured of their safety, will I require your complete commitment," the Emperor declared, slightly moving the collar as he annunciated the last two words.

"I will give you my 'complete commitment' now," Obi-Wan countered, "if you allow the rest of the Jedi held within this complex to leave as well."

Chuckling darkly, Sidious hesitated, before agreeing.  "I will permit them to leave," he declared.

Releasing a pent breath, Obi-Wan turned to his fellow Knights and friends as they stood silently watching him.  Bant's silvery eyes shone with her horror at the situation, and N'erak's jaw was clenched tightly.  "Make certain that you have all of the Jedi before you leave," Obi-Wan ordered, slipping easily into 'General-mode' for what he realized would be the last time.  "Do not leave anyone behind, no matter how badly injured they may be.  Even if there is no chance of their survival, do no leave them in the Imperial's hands."

"We can't just leave you," N'erak growled.  "There has to be another way."

"There is no other way, and you will do as you are told Knight N'erak," Obi-Wan responded, stressing the other Jedi's title.  Dropping to a softer tone, he continued.  "So many lives can be spared today, don't ask me to give this opportunity up, because I won't."

"We know that you won't," Bant answered solemnly, after a slight pause.  "If you did, you wouldn't be our Obi-Wan."  Handing Leia to N'erak, Bant threw her arms around Obi-Wan and hugged him soundly, ignoring their audience.  "You are the first person I ever truly loved, and no matter what happens, no matter what you have to do to survive, know that I will always love you."

Removing the baby from N'erak's grasp, Bant stepped back away from the circle of light that surrounded the throne.  "Take care, Obi," N'erak said as he too grasped his friend in an embrace.  "Come back to us, we'll be waiting for you."

Releasing N'erak, Obi-Wan swallowed convulsively a few times before he again found his voice.  "Be careful, and may the Force be with you," he finished, his voice hitching just slightly as he bade farewell to his friends.  Backing away from his friends, Obi-Wan took a deep breath and composed his expression back into a mask of neutrality before turning to face the Emperor on his throne.  Removing his robe, and dropping it to pool on the ebony floor, he took the final few steps forward until he stood just before the two steps leading up to the throne.

Without a last glance at his friends and his former life, Obi-Wan Kenobi dropped to his knees at the Emperor's feet, taking the proffered collar with steady hands and hooking it tightly around his own throat.  "On my word as a Jedi, I am yours."


	14. 14

The trip back to Naboo was a silent, mournful affair, despite the successful rescue of over fifteen Jedi Knights and the former handmaiden Sabé.  Medical treatment was administered and rations handed out, all with a silence more befitting a funeral than the completion of a victorious mission.  The baby, Leia, was tended to by one of the Knights who had received less of the Empire's "hospitality" as Bant and N'erak worked to keep the remaining guests of Emperor Palpatine alive for the trip from Coruscant to Naboo.

A message had been sent to what remained of the Jedi Council, but the need for security prevented Knights Bant and N'erak from making all but the briefest of reports.  In fact, Master Yoda, who had answered the call, seemed only interested in the most inane of all things.  "Wearing what, Obi-Wan was?"  "His beard, did he wear?"

Though confused, Bant had answered all of the venerable Master's questions, as they revealed nothing of any importance to any unexpected listeners.  At the end of the brief and determinably odd interview Master Yoda had merely nodded his head and signed off.  It was the strange gleam within his eye that had the two Knights wondering if perhaps all was not quite as it seemed.

~~~

The Force-inhibiting collar was not comfortable in the least, but its effects were quite familiar.  If nothing else, the long years of his isolation on Tatooine without even the Force as a companion had taught Obi-Wan to rely on his own inherent strengths first and foremost.  Though he had found it necessary to conceal his identity as a Jedi, the older Obi-Wan had still managed to continue a regiment of physical and weapons training despite his inability to call on the Force.  It had been a difficult and grueling task, but Obi-Wan was never more grateful for it than he was now.  For despite being once again within his younger self, the memory of those many hours of conventional training stayed with him, making a more formidable adversary than ever the Emperor could have imagined.

~~~~

Upon their arrival at the underground base on Naboo, Bant and N'erak were immediately escorted to the current meeting of the Council.  With the dangers posed by Imperial spies, the Council never announced their meeting place, nor held sessions in the same area more than once.  As a result, the two Knights were led to a section of the base that neither had cause to visit previously.  Waiting outside of the blast-shielded doors, the two Jedi spoke quietly as they studied the rough rock-hewn walls.

"Why isn't the Council more worried that Obi-Wan remained behind?" Bant questioned, as a slight frown marred her usually pleasant expression.  "I know that they were upset with him over Anakin, but that really does not seem like enough for them to just dismiss this."

Nodding, N'erak began to pace.  Recognizing the mannerism as one that her friend always enacted when he was thinking deeply, Bant remained silent until he spoke.  "Did you notice that, not once, did Yoda refer to Obi-Wan as "Master" Obi-Wan?"  N'erak questioned, continuing on before he allowed the Mon Calamarian a chance to speak.  "Not only that, but Yoda's questions… they seemed to be more cryptic than usual, even for him."

As the Healer opened her mouth to speak, N'erak abruptly stopped pacing and turned on his heel to face her, interrupting her before she could begin.  "And where was Obi-Wan's lightsaber?  I know he was told not to bring it," he stated, again before she could get a word in edgewise, "but _where_ is it?  He didn't give it to me, and I know he didn't give it to you…"

This time as N'erak fell silent in his ruminations, Bant didn't even attempt to speak.  Instead, her own mind whirled with the implications of what her friend had just suggested.

~~~

From his position at the Emperor's side, Obi-Wan found himself privy to a level of depravity that he had never before witnessed, even during some of his more horrendous missions as a Jedi Knight.  Sidious's complete lack of empathy and compassion, coupled with his immense cruelty led to methods of torture and conviction that was beyond that of even the Hutts.  The Emperor's own men cowered when called before him, despite the successful completion of their missions.  For his own part, Obi-Wan schooled his features to neutrality, affecting a disinterested façade, despite the part of his soul that cried out in shame and horror.  

The solid gold chain that connected the former Jedi to his "Master's" throne ensured his physical presence, but not even the Force-collar could keep Obi-Wan from turning his mind away from the scenes that played out before him.  It was only his escape to another mental plane that kept his mind from shattering as the Emperor inflicted his tender care on two recently taken captives.  As a Jedi, he had been conditioned to the horrors of war, and the consequences thereof, but no amount of training could prepare him for Palpatine.  The Emperor had ordered the execution of all of the soldiers onboard the captured Rebel ship, but had demanded that any and all civilians be brought before him.  As the ship had been involved in a raid, the civilian complement was low, with only the Captain's children in residence aboard the cruiser.

Despite his vow to remain silent and bide his time, Obi-Wan could not help but speak out as the two bedraggled children were led into the Emperor's throne room.  The youngest, a human girl of only a few years, had looked at him with the most startling of blue eyes, her gaze begging him for help as if she had realized that he was her only hope.  The other child, a girl only a few years older, had kept her gaze fixed on the Emperor, though the shudders that ran throughout her body belied her calm appearance.

"These children were captured onboard the _Liberty_," he Imperial Commander announced, his voice ringing out harshly in the space-chilled room.  "They attempted to escape, and two of my men were injured during the subsequent chase."

"Your men were incompetent," Sidious hissed, after a prolonged silence.  "If you cannot control them better, I will have to find another Commander."

Knowing better than to make a reply, the Commander bowed quickly, before turning and leaving the throne room.  As the large doors clicked shut in his wake, the two children seemed to huddle even closer to one another.

~~~

When Knights Bant and N'erak were finally admitted before the Council, both were practically thrumming with unanswered questions and unexpected hope.  The doors had barely shut before N'erak spoke.  "Obi-Wan has a way out, doesn't he?" he demanded to know, ignoring the Council protocol that had been practically embedded in his mind since his time as an Initiate.

"Patience you lack," Yoda admonished.  "Give your report first you will, then ask questions you may."

Nodding his head curtly, N'erak began his report, beginning with the launch from Naboo and ending with the moments just before the Council doors had opened.  Bant offered her own insights throughout, or when N'erak seemed to have had a different perspective on something.  As they wrapped up their report, the two Jedi watched the Councilor's closely, both of them concealing a hope that was as unexpected as it was cherished.

"And what exactly did General Kenobi say to the Emperor?" Master Windu asked, his dry tones doing little to conceal his anticipation of the answer as he leaned forward in his chair.

"He told Palpatine, 'On my word as a Jedi, I am yours,'" Bant replied, repeating what Knight N'erak had already reported.

"You are certain?" Mace stressed, his dark eyes studying her closely.

"Absolutely," Bant answered, as N'erak nodded in confirmation.

Sharing a look with Master Yoda and the other Councilors, Master Windu offered N'erak a slight smile.  "You are quite correct, Knight N'erak," he stated, "Obi-Wan does not intend to stay with the Emperor any longer than necessary."

"But how can he betray his word?" Bant interrupted.  "He gave his word as a Jedi.  Obi-Wan would not lie like that."

"But give his word as a Jedi, he cannot," Master Yoda declared, his ears perking up as a slightly devious light shone in his aged eyes.  "Resigned from the Order, Obi-Wan Kenobi did.  Turned in his lightsaber and given up his status as a Jedi Master, Obi-Wan has."  Reaching behind his chair, the elderly Master removed the familiar hilt of Obi-Wan's lightsaber, holding it balanced within his gnarled green hands.  "Given his word to the Emperor, he has not.  A free man, Obi-Wan Kenobi is."


	15. 15

Helpless to do anything but watch, Obi-Wan found that all of the anger and disgust he had released to the Force during his exile on Tatooine could not even compare to the red hot rage he currently felt.  The cruelty of the Emperor was well known, but to witness it directly was devastating.  The dying cries of the two young children still echoed through his mind, even as the storm troopers finished cleaning up their Master's handiwork.

As the last of the troopers exited the ebony-darkened room, the Emperor turned his full regard to his former nemesis.  Reaching out a hand to lift the ex-Jedi Master's chin, Sidious smiled grimly.  "Your anger is truly exquisite.  It is a pity you will not turn.  You could be truly powerful."

Unable to speak, Obi-Wan tried to convey his disgust with his gaze alone.  Chuckling darkly, the Emperor released his hold on Obi-Wan's chin, watching delightedly as it fell limply against the Jedi's chest.  "I will have to commend my physician on her excellent work.  A paralyzing agent that still allows the recipient to remain fully conscious – remarkable."

Settling back into his throne, Sidious continued the one-sided conversation with the ex-Jedi sprawled at his feet.  "Of course, if you had not insisted on attempting to lull both young rebels into a pain-free trance, I would not have had to resort to such measures."  Sighing and resettling his robe around him more comfortably, the Emperor allowed a few moments to pass in his own silent contemplation.

"I must admit; I am intrigued by your attempts at compassion.  Not with the compassion of course," he clarified, "but rather with your non-Force persuasion skills.  It seems odd that a Jedi Knight would have use for such skills…"

Leaning forward, Sidious again lifted the Jedi's chin so that he could study the other's reaction.  "It seems that there is much more to you than meets the eye, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Keeping his thoughts carefully blank, Obi-Wan tried to retreat again to the silent place in his mind; the place he had first created at Qui-Gon's death, and had expanded upon after Anakin's defection.  He had been able to retreat there briefly during the Emperor's interrogation of the two young children, but some part of him would not allow him to escape indefinitely.  Even if there was nothing he could do for either child, he could be there to witness their deaths and to bear mute testimony of the horrors they had both so bravely faced.  

Now, though, there was nothing to keep him from escaping as far away from the Emperor as mentally possible.  Dropping swiftly into the trance, he kept just enough notice of his body to feel the Emperor release his chin in disgust after the Sith's attempts to revive his attention failed. Feeling his chin drop again to his chest, Obi-Wan relaxed all but the lightest of connections to his physical self.  

~~~

"We have to go back to Coruscant!" N'erak declared.  "Obi-Wan will need us to help him escape."

"Need you, Obi-Wan will," Master Yoda acknowledged, as all of the other Council members seemed to defer to him.  "But for now, another task we have for you.  Safe here, the Skywalker girl is not. To Dagobah you must take her."

"But Master Yoda," Bant began, knowing that the Head of the Council was right to protect the child, but torn by her need to help her friend.

"Argue you will not!" Yoda interrupted, slamming his gimmer stick resoundingly on the floor.  "To Dagobah you will go, and at Dagobah you will remain.  Come to you, Obi-Wan will."

"He might need us," N'erak argued, only to be quelled by another thwack of the diminutive Master's cane.

"Interfere with his plan, you would," Yoda declared.  "Capable Obi-Wan is, and trust in him you should."

Sharing a speaking glance, N'erak and Bant finally capitulated.  Offering a bow to the remaining members of the Council, they hastily exited the makeshift chambers.  Walking in silence until they had placed enough distance between themselves and the Councilors, Bant and N'erak slipped into an empty room, sealing the entrance behind them.

"Should we go after him?" Bant asked, almost before the doors had fully shut.

"I don't want to imagine Obi-Wan having to face the Emperor alone," N'erak began, taking a deep breath before he finished, "but I also don't want to risk disrupting any plans he might have.  He is in the best position possible to do some real damage to the Empire."

Nodding slightly as she accepted N'erak's arguments, Bant sighed.  "Do you think he will actually meet with us on Dagobah, or do you think that Master Yoda is merely keeping us from going after him?"

Running a hand through his hair, the young male Knight considered.  "I think it is possible that he could escape…" he began, drawing on his own expertise in clandestine and dangerous missions.

"… But you don't think that is what he is planning," the Mon Calamarian healer finished, speaking her own secret fear.

Meeting her silvery eyes with his own piercing blue, N'erak nodded.  "I don't think Obi-Wan would be able to guarantee the death of the Emperor and the downfall of the Empire unless he were to personally carry it out.  And I don't see how he could possibly survive doing that."

~~~

When he felt the last of the paralyzing agent purge from his system, Obi-Wan slowly returned to his physical body, careful not to alert the Emperor of his return to consciousness.  Keeping his head lowered limply to his chest, he slowly gazed around the throne room, gauging the level of readiness of the Emperor and his few guards.  Sidious appeared to be studying a terminal screen that was attached to his throne, while the six Imperial Guards stood at a ceremonial attention.  Though each of the men's postures appeared to be alert and on-guard, Obi-Wan could see the telltale signs of boredom and inactivity taking their toll.

Moving slowly and loosely, so as to appear that it was a natural movement caused by shifting muscles, Obi-Wan collapsed from his kneeling position on to his side.  The Emperor looked up, but after a quick Force probe told him that his new pet was still unresponsive, Sidious returned to his readout.  Noting their Master's lack of concern, the guards also swiftly lost interest.

Waiting until he was again assured that he would receive no notice, Obi-Wan surreptitiously began to move his left hand toward the Force-collar encircling his neck.  Moving in agonizingly small increments, he carefully felt for the lock that held the device in place.  Finding it, he then moved his fingers a few inches to the left of it, searching for the hidden hinges he knew were there.  Discovering the barely discernable indentations, he slipped his fingers around the collar.  Pausing to make certain that all of his muscles were prepared for the sudden action he would soon ask of them, Obi-Wan rolled his body swiftly, using the torque of the maneuver to add to his own considerable strength.  And with a loud crack, the collar split and fell from his neck.


	16. 16

Immediately, the sweet thrum of the Force flowed through him, baptizing him in its essence and relieving him of the small aches and pains that he had slowly grown accustomed to.  Feeling the sudden growth of the Lightside of the Force, Sidious immediately beckoned for his personal guard, knowing that he alone could not face a fully trained Jedi Knight, especially not one with the furious expression Obi-Wan Kenobi was currently wearing.

The six Imperial Guards, though well trained, were not equipped to fight an enemy who used as many dirty tactics as they, themselves, employed.  Normally the Jedi Knights that the Guard fought would refuse to stoop to such low tactics, but Obi-Wan was not above any trick that might save his life, and the lives of the remaining free men, women and children throughout the Galaxy.

Only a few moments had passed, and yet three of the guards were mortally wounded, and two more were injured in such a manner that they could no longer fight.  The final guard was trying to prevent Obi-Wan from reaching his Master, while Sidious was quickly summoning more of his officers and storm troopers.  Quickly dispatching the final guard with a swift kick to the solar plexus and a follow up right hook with his chain-wrapped hand, Obi-Wan turned his attentions to the Emperor.

"Your reign of terror has ended Palpatine.  The Galaxy is no longer yours to command," Obi-Wan declared, an almost feral grin covering his handsome features.

"Is that so?" Sidious questioned, finally giving up in his attempts to summon more guards.  "Do you really think that one lone Jedi has the power to destroy me?"

"He's not alone," a calm voice called out from the side entry into the great chamber.

"And he never has been," another voice continued, as two shrouded figures came to a stop just before the seal on the floor.

"N'erak. Bant," Obi-Wan greeted, sounding unsurprised, despite the unexpected appearance of his childhood friends.

"Obi-Wan," N'erak answered, as Bant nodded in greeting.  "We thought you could use a hand."

"I assume you are the reason I cannot contact my guards?" Sidious asked, his voice betraying none of the anger and even fear that he was feeling.

"Seven to one was bad enough odds," N'erak replied flippantly.  

"I appreciate your help," Obi-Wan declared, risking a quick glance at both of his friends, "but neither of you should be here."

"We couldn't just leave you," Bant argued.  "Even if you did leave the Order."

With Bant's declaration, Sidious' eyes narrowed.  Prior to her revelation, he had assumed that Obi-Wan was planning some form of rebellion, but he had felt assured that the Knight would not break his vows in the name of the Order.  With this new information, however, nothing was assured.

"Again, I truly appreciate your assistance, but it would be best if you and N'erak left now," Obi-Wan stated again, trying with his eyes to convince his friends to leave as quickly as possible.  Using the distraction of the three Jedi's discussion, Sidious began to slowly inch his hand toward the hidden compartment within his throne where his lightsaber was kept.

"Bant," N'erak began, understanding suddenly why Obi-Wan was trying to get them to leave, "I think we should…"

Before the young Knight could finish, the distinctive hum of an ignited lightsaber echoed through the vast chamber.  Almost before his mind could process the sound, Obi-Wan had tucked into a roll that brought him to his feet several feet away from where he had been standing.  He had dropped just in time, as the swish of Sidious' lightsaber buzzed just above where his head had been.

"Obi! Here!" Bant yelled, quickly tossing something to him.  Catching it with his right hand, while keeping an eye on the rapidly advancing Sidious, Obi-Wan was surprised as the familiar hum of his own lightsaber crept up his arm.  

"How?" he questioned, as he swiftly ignited the azure blade to defend against Palpatine's crimson.

"Your temporary resignation from the Order has ended… Master Kenobi," N'erak answered with a grin, as he ignited his own blade and took up a position to Obi-Wan's right.

Parrying a blow that would have caught him across the middle, Obi-Wan flashed a quick smile at his childhood friend.  Before Sidious could take advantage of his distraction, however, the newly instated Knight dropped back a step, allowing N'erak to engage the Sith Master.

"Bant!" Obi-Wan called, taking a brief moment to catch his breath.  After having endured the Sith's tender treatment, his endurance was not quite what it had been.  Responding to his summons, the Mon Calamarian Healer appeared at Obi-Wan's side.  "I need you to get N'erak and any other prisoners that are still trapped here, and leave."

"Obi, we aren't going to leave…" Bant argued, only to be cut off as a cry from N'erak signaled a minor victory on the Sith's part.

"Take him and go!" Obi-Wan cried, as he reentered the fray, jumping over his friend's prone form to block a blow from the Emperor.  Engaging the Sith again, it was clear that Obi-Wan was attempting to block Sidious' path to the only two exits from the grand chambers.

Quickly offering a shoulder to N'erak as he rose unsteadily to his feet, Bant made the only decision she could.  Turning as swiftly as she could while supporting N'erak, the Mon Calamarian hurried toward the small door through which she and her fellow Knight had only just entered a few moments before.

Grateful that Bant had taken his advice and was leaving, Obi-Wan turned his entire focus and energy on the battle with the Sith Master.  Increasing the intensity of the fight until the 'sabers were only a blue and crimson blur, he forced Sidious farther and farther back from the entryway of the hall.  As the two drew nearer to the throne, Obi-Wan aimed for a glancing blow, knowing it would be sufficient to draw the Sith off long enough for him to implement the final portion of his plan.

As his lightsaber caught Sidious across the left shoulder, Obi-Wan sprang from his crouched fighting position to the terminal still operational on the side of the throne. Quickly logging into the maintenance files, he started a cascade failure of every minor system within the Imperial Center.  Though the minor failures on their own would not be an issue, a cascade failure would lead to a much larger pull of energy being drawn from the main generator.  With such power radiating from the centrally located core, it would only take a well-placed blaster bolt to blow the entire Center to pieces.

Just as he completed the last sequence in the failure cascade, Sidious' lightsaber cut through the terminal, ending Obi-Wan's connection to the main city systems.  With a cry, the Jedi Knight jumped to his feet, fiercely engaging his mortal enemy in battle once more.

"It appears that your friends have truly abandoned you this time," Sidious crowed, as broke from a 'saber lock with his opponent.  "They did not even stick around to watch your demise."

"My friends are aware that there are some things more important than just one individual's life," Obi-Wan replied calmly.  "They know that my life would be meaningless if it came at the cost of the lives and freedoms of so many others."

Taken aback by the Jedi's frank acceptance of his own demise, Sidious hesitated too long in a final parry.  With a quick series of movements, Obi-Wan knocked the Emperor's lightsaber from his grasp and brought his own lightsaber down in a killing maneuver.  Pausing just as the tip of the 'saber began to burn at Palpatine's throat, Obi-Wan spoke.

"As much as I would like to take your life, I can't do it like this," the Jedi spoke.  

With a sudden relief he wouldn't have thought possible, Palaptine smiled.  "I knew that you could never take a life in cold blood. It is simply against your Jedi morals."

Suddenly offering a death-head smile, Obi-Wan laughed darkly.  "Ah, you think that I intend to let you live?" he asked, his voice a deep, dark tone that seemed against the normal nature of the Jedi Knight.  "In that belief, you are mistaken," he continued, as he reached for something that lay hidden just beside the throne.

Holding up the gold Force-blocking collar, Obi-Wan grinned.  "I have every intention of killing you… but make no mistake, I will not risk any chance you might _ever_ come back."  

Moving so quickly that his arms appeared a blur, Obi-Wan latched the collar around the Sith's throat, only waiting long enough for the Force numbing field to come into affect before raising his 'saber once more.  "For the death of my Master, for the destruction of the galaxy, for the death of my friends, and most of all… for the death of my apprentice," Obi-Wan whispered almost reverently as he brought his 'saber down, separating the Sith Lord's head from what remained of his body.


	17. 17

Leaving Sidious' body where it had fallen, Obi-Wan quickly ran toward the door Bant and N'erak had just exited.  Instead of following their path toward where they had presumably landed their shuttle, Obi-Wan turned the other way, running deeper into the Imperial Center.

Reaching a door marked simply "Barracks," the Jedi quickly slipped inside, flicking on the light switch as he entered the darkened room.  Moving toward a cabinet on the far wall that most likely held what he needed, the Knight smiled grimly.

***

Helping support N'erak's weight, Bant also kept her 'saber in hand, keeping watch for any Storm Troopers, as they raced through the halls.  Their small shuttle had most likely already been discovered, and so the two Jedi were planning on hijacking a ship from one of the Imperial bays.  It not only allowed them the satisfaction of knowing for sure that the ship hadn't been tampered with, but the extra time it would take for them to "liberate" one of the ships would also allow Obi-Wan that much more time to reach them.

  
They had promised not to wait for him, but the two friends had not made any agreements as to how long it might take them to make good on their escape.  Though Bant would not risk her or N'erak's life unnecessarily, as she knew Obi-Wan would kill her himself if she did, she also was not going to just allow her friend to throw his own life away.

***

Exiting again from the small room only moments after he had entered, Obi-Wan tried to acclimate himself to breathing through the heavy mask.  Though he had taken the precaution before even leaving Naboo of shaving his beard, the Storm Trooper helmet still seemed to restrict his air intake.  The effect might have been mostly psychological, however, as the Jedi Master had never cared for anything touching his face.

Holding the blaster loosely in his hand, as he had seen the Troopers do so, Obi-Wan began to jog awkwardly toward the communications and power core.  As he ran through the corridors, Obi-Wan had to hastily salute several higher ranking officers as he jogged past.  Each time he was questioned, he answered that he was on a personal errand for the Emperor.  As he had carefully chosen a uniform with patches depicting a Chamber room guard, the Jedi knew that his story was believable.

When the power room finally drew into sight, though, Obi-Wan had to suppress a sigh of relief.  He had been careful in his planning, but he had still worried that one of the other Troopers or Officers would have tried to stop him.  Luckily, however, the wrath of the Emperor was something_ none_ of the men, clones or not, wanted to face.

***

"The shields are up!" N'erak yelled toward the back of the shuttle, notifying Bant that she could cease in her attempts to reflect the blaster fire from the remaining guards.  The two Jedi had carefully barricaded the doors of the shuttle bay as they had entered, leaving only the upper deck opening clear so that Obi-Wan could reach them.  

With their back-up cut off, at least until some kind of a rigging system could be strung from the higher level, the bay guards had taken to hiding behind the crates and struts throughout the hanger, taking pot shots at the shuttle the two Jedi had commandeered.

"I don't see him!" Bant answered back, as she reentered the shuttle, taking up a position within the shields, but still preventing any of the guards from boarding.

"I still need to get the stabilizers balanced," N'erak called back.  "That will give him a few more minutes."

Frowning slightly, Bant nodded, though her fellow Jedi could not see her.  Technically, N'erak was more than capable of flying even without stabilizers, but she knew that he was stalling for time as much as she was.  As long as the guards weren't able to gain reinforcements, she and N'erak could risk waiting.

***

Leveling the blaster carefully, Obi-Wan balanced it on the edge of the grating surrounding the core.  Binding it in place with some wiring he had freed from one of the consoles, he made sure it was still aimed correctly. Once assured that it was, he quickly ignited his lightsaber and touched the tip of it to the power cell of the blaster.  As the metal turned a deep crimson, he withdrew his weapon.

Listening carefully, he made sure that the distinctive whine of the blaster was clearly gaining in pitch before he turned and began to run back the way he had come.  Pausing only long enough to seal the only entrance to the room by melting the door, Obi-Wan sprinted as quickly as he could in the awkward uniform.

Hurrying toward the hanger bay, Obi-Wan hoped he would be able to commandeer a craft in time to clear the building before it blew.  If not, he guessed he would be seeing Natira much sooner than he had planned.

***

"They've got a rope ladder," Bant yelled, notifying N'erak that the Troopers would soon be flowing down from the upper level.  Though she could take out a few of them with the blaster she had once she stepped beyond the shields, Bant knew that there was no way she could remain in the open long enough to stop all of the guards.  She would try to aim for the ladder, but as a Healer, her skills with a blaster were not quite as strong as she now wished them to be. 

"Take out as many as you can," N'erak ordered.  "We need to give him a few more minutes."

Instead of answering, Bant edged carefully out the open ramp of the transport, already aiming toward the upper level.

***

Reaching the hanger bay, Obi-Wan was surprised to see a group of guards running toward him.  Knowing that they couldn't have realized who he was, Obi-Wan tried to appear as if he was merely arriving as back-up.

"This levels blocked," the Sergeant in charge notified him, noticing his Chamber guard patches.  Though a Chamber guard ranked lower than a Sergeant, they were also the elite of the Storm Trooper ranks and commanded a certain respect because of it.  

"Is the upper level open?" the Jedi questioned, grateful for the voice synthesizer of the helmet, even as it further impeded his breathing space.

"Yes, but the Jedi are firing on the Troopers trying to get down," the Sergeant answered as the two swiftly ran up one of the staircases.

Nodding his head, Obi-Wan absorbed the guard's words, even as he silently hoped that his friends were able to hold long enough for him to reach them.  Though he had hoped they would be long gone before he reached the bay, he was grateful they had chosen to wait for him.  He was also glad that they had not gone back toward their own ship, as he realized that it would most likely have been discovered and tampered with.

As he reached the upper level and surveyed the situation, Obi-Wan did not even hesitate before leaping headlong over the barrier separating the platform from the open air below.

***

"I can't hold them any longer!" Bant cried, as she continued trying to fire despite the pain that radiated from her right leg.  Although she had not had the time to investigate, the Healer was fairly certain that the shrapnel she'd been hit with had shattered her kneecap.

"Get inside the shields!" N'erak yelled, working frantically at the pilot's station to try to bring the weapons online.  Though he desperately wanted to help his friend, he knew that he couldn't leave the cockpit of the shuttle.

"I'm in," Bant gasped after a moment's pause in which she had painfully hauled herself up the ramp.  

"I'm going to take…" N'erak began; only to be cut off as Bant cried out.

"Bant!?!" he yelled, forgetting that he needed to remain at the pilot's station and stumbling to his feet despite his own injury.

"It's Obi!" the Mon Calamarian yelled as she stepped outside the shields once more to give her friend cover fire.

Hearing Bant's happy exclamation, N'erak reseated himself at the pilot's station and began to slowly lift the shuttle off of the ground, knowing that Bant would have remained on the ramp, and that Obi-Wan was quite capable of leaping high enough to join her.

Just as the shuttle reached a height high enough to began its progress toward the open bay doors, N'erak felt the small ship shudder as Obi-Wan leapt unto the ramp to join his friends.  Not even needing to hear Bant's shout that they were clear to go, N'erak sealed the ramp and piloted the small craft away from the Imperial Center as quickly as possible.


	18. 18

*** Author's note: Sorry the wait was so long again.  I never intended for it to be, but I got swept up in this last year of work at college.  Surprisingly, I am in finals week right now, yet have the time to write! Thanks to all my reviewers!

****____****____******_____*******

The small shuttle had just cleared the upper atmosphere of Coruscant when a terrific rumble came from the planet's surface and a massive cloud of burning debris rose up.  The two Jedi on the shuttle barely noticed it however, as their attention was instead focused on the empty air where Obi-Wan Kenobi had just been.

**__**

"Well, I can see that you've finally figured out you actually need to _live _to make the day worthwhile," Natira laughed as Obi-Wan materialized before her.

"Did I die again?" Obi-Wan questioned, confused by his sudden transition from the Imperial shuttle to Natira's realm.

"No, this time you actually managed to survive," she assured with a small smile.  "However, as you managed to 'set right' that which you had repeated the day for, it is not necessary for you to continue living in that reality unless you choose to after you experience your third day."

"So, I would just return to the shuttle, but would have no idea how things would go from there?" Obi-Wan questioned softly.  "How would I know that things couldn't go terribly wrong from that point?"

"All of life is a risk," Natira answered, her voice somewhat sorrowed.  "However, because your situation is so different, and this is meant to be a reward, not a punishment, I can assure you that things will not go 'terribly wrong' as you put it."

"So things will be perfect?" he questioned as he finally rose to his feet from where he had landed kneeling.

"No," Natira replied, her laughter ringing clearly across the open plain, "if it was perfect, I imagine you would become bored quite quickly."

Smiling abashedly at what was clearly the truth, Obi-Wan didn't answer.

"Your life in that reality would continue to be an adventure, as the rebuilding process from the Empire's destruction would take a lot of time, energy and dedication.  There are also a few surprises waiting in the wings, now that the Empire is no longer a threat.  However, during your lifetime, you would never again have to face such a large scale war."

"But I don't have to choose that day, right?" Obi-Wan asked as his mind turned toward his former Master and his former apprentice, both of whom would be lost to him if he chose to continue in that life.

"You do not have to choose any day," Natira confirmed.  "If you wish, you may remain here, or you may continue on to become one with the Force.  This is merely an option for you Obi-Wan, it was not meant to be such a chore," she chastised.

"I understand that," he responded after a slight hesitation, "but I can't just allow the galaxy to fall apart like it did before.  I can't stand by and allow such evil to grow and spread, destroying so many innocent lives."

"Your character would not allow you to," she confirmed.  "However, did you ever consider the possibility that maybe your personal happiness could carry across the entire galaxy?"

Raising an eyebrow, Obi-Wan considered her response.  "You are saying that somehow I'm enough of an important figure in the galaxy, that simply making myself happy would solve all the problems?" he asked, with a slight smirk.

"You won't know unless you try," Natira answered just as smugly, grinning when Obi-Wan's face reflected his shock at her answer.  He had obviously assumed that she would take his response in the sarcastic manner it was given.  "You've managed to rid the world of Sidious in both of your other attempts," she continued, "and yet, you were still not happy, and the galaxy was still in a state of upheaval.  Perhaps you give yourself too little credit.  After all, the Force did choose _you for this honor."_

"No one else has ever had this opportunity?" he questioned, his Jedi calm keeping him from too much shock at her words.

"You are the first, and the last," Natira replied, her eyes suddenly darkening and seeming to reflect a great sadness.  Despite the fact that he was not actively sensing, Obi-Wan could feel the sudden shift in the atmosphere of the realm, as if a cloud had suddenly passed over the invisible sun.

Seemingly shaking off her sudden sorrow, Natira raised a hand and gently pressed it to the Jedi's cheek.  "Obi-Wan, please, take this chance to achieve your own happiness.  Sacrifice is important, but you cannot base your entire existence on it."

Raising his own hand to cover the slim one nestled against his cheek, Obi-Wan nodded.  "I will."


	19. 19

Author's note:  Please forgive the long delay in posting.  I have been besieged with work this last semester, and have not had the time to write anything but reports and papers.  Thanks to all of my reviewers, I truly appreciate your responses.

**************************************

Obi-Wan sat quietly by the silver stream where Natira had left him.  His eyes stared unfocused into the depths of the musically burbling water, as his mind wandered.  He understood what Natira meant, on some level, but so much of his very being was devoted toward serving others that he couldn't imagine doing something solely for himself.  He wasn't even sure _how_ to do something solely for himself.  It seemed as if every possible date he came up with to relive had some kind of significance toward preventing the rise of the empire.

He thought about going back to the time when Qui-Gon had chosen him as a Padawan.  Maybe if someone else picked him instead, or if he'd ended up in the Agri-Corps, things would have been better?  Or maybe he should go back to the first time he ever met Anakin.  Maybe if he'd been nicer, and not so sure of his own superiority and place within the Jedi Order, things would have been different.  Or he could go back to when Amidala was first elected Queen, and influence her to replace Palpatine as Naboo's intergalactic representative.

As his mind poured over all of the different things he could have and should have done differently, the quiet rhythm of the stream seemed to change.  It was only as the gentle burbling clearly became a melody that he surfaced from his thoughts.  Listening to the soft whispers of the stream, he began to smile.  Making his decision before he had the chance to second-guess himself, Obi-Wan called for Natira.

*********************************

The air hanger was filled with people, sounds and the exotic smells that visibly represented the diversity of the galaxy.  Among the hustle and bustle of the station, the unmoving figure of the lone Jedi stood out.  The young Padawan stood quietly along the outer edge, an oddly serene smile on his face as he looked over the masses of people.  Those that passed him by often hesitated, pausing to take another look.  To see a Jedi was a rare occurrence, but to see one with an emotion and not just a blank expression was unheard of.

Those that had paused at his smile, nearly gasped as the serene smile became a blazing grin as another figure appeared in front of him.  As the elder Jedi approached, the young Padawan seemed to almost vibrate in place with his obvious excitement.  The odd rhythm to the chaos of the hanger was completely disrupted as the younger Jedi threw himself into the arms of the older one with a shout of delight.  The entire station seemed to freeze at the joyous sound, but instead of frustration at the disruption, the harried passengers began to relax, and a few even smiled at the happy sounds.  

**********************************

Qui-Gon had entered the hanger hoping to quickly retrieve his Padawan and return immediately to the Temple.  The situation on Carhos IV was quickly becoming unstable, and it was almost certain that he would be sent to mediate within the next few cycles.  Although he had spent several months on the planet in the past, the elaborate rituals and gestures required that he review his memories and refresh his skills.  One wrong signal could easily lead to warfare.

As he cut easily through the waves of people exiting the hanger, Qui-Gon began to surreptitiously scan for his apprentice.  Even those patrons standing nearest to him would not be able to tell that he was not absolutely certain as to where he was going.  It was one of the marks of the Jedi Order, and a great part of their mystique.  With the raised hoods and billowing sleeves, the placid expressions and the unerring sense of direction, the Jedi seemed almost to be an entirely different kind of being.  Although he often wondered if such an image didn't lead to fear within some people, Qui-Gon had to admit that it did seem to assist in mediation and negotiation.

Unable to see the cowled figure of his apprentice, the Jedi Master reached out across the bond they shared.  A strange sort of dissonance seemed to echo through the link, almost as if a great distance separated the two.  Along the very edges of the link, Qui-Gon almost heard a light lilting laughter.  The image of a silvery stream and an ethereal paradise seemed to flicker through his mind before the bond once more solidified. 

/Padawan?/ he questioned softly.

/Master!/ the young voice answered back joyfully.  

Tracing the link, Qui-Gon angled slightly to his right toward an edge of the hanger where a collection of musicians seemed to have set up a temporary display.  Scanning the many patrons listening to the improvised concert, the Jedi Master felt a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he spotted his 14 year old apprentice.  The light of the midday sun filtered through the high windows of the hanger, seeming to caress the golden spiked hair of the young boy.  Although normally he would have reprimanded his apprentice for not having his hood properly raised as a Jedi should, the sheer unabashed joy on his Padawan's face prevented him from doing so.

As he drew nearer to his apprentice, almost as if pulled, Qui-Gon could no longer contain his own answering smile.  Although it had only been a few weeks since they had least seen each other, Obi-Wan's absolute delight was contagious.  Before he could open his mouth to greet his apprentice properly, Qui-Gon found himself embraced wholeheartedly by the younger Jedi.

"Master! I've missed you!" Obi-Wan had cried as he flung his arms around the Jedi Master.

Returning the embrace in kind, Qui-Gon smiled. 


	20. 20

Disclaimer:  Again, I make no profit, GL owns all of the known characters

Author's note:  I thrive on reviews, even if I don't have the time to respond (well, not if I want to spend my 15 free minutes on writing the actual story).  I thank you for your input and apologize for the lack of individual responses.

***---****---***

"Well your visit went?" Master Yoda questioned, opening the session informally, despite the presence of the full Council.

"Yes Master," Obi-Wan answered, as he dropped to one knee in deference.  "The information I collected from the libraries alone will vastly enhance the Temple files."

"Permission you gained for information?" Yoda asked, an almost mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Yes Master," the Apprentice replied blandly, only the slight sparkle in his eyes betraying his own humor.

"If that is all then, Padawan Kenobi, I suggest you return to your Master and begin gathering all of the work you have missed," Mace Windu interjected.  He had disagreed with the Council's decision to send Obi-Wan alone to Kellis IV, despite the fact that the planetary system had not experienced war or conflict in hundreds of years.  Somehow, to Mace at least, it seemed that whenever Master Jinn or Padawan Kenobi were involved in a mission, things seemed to go terribly wrong, terribly quick.  At least in this case, Obi-Wan had returned unharmed.

"Actually, Master," Obi-Wan began, causing the Councilors who had begun to rise from their seats to settle back down, "There is something else I would like to discuss."

"A problem you have?" Master Yoda asked, his eyes narrowing as he studied the apprentice both visually and through the Force.

"Not a problem I have, exactly," Obi-Wan declared, "but rather one the entire Jedi Order faces."

Raising an eyebrow, Mace Windu motioned for the Padawan to pause as he raised Master Jinn on his comm. link.  Once assured that the Jedi Master was on his way, Mace turned his attention back to Obi-Wan.  "Have you had a vision Obi-Wan?" the Councilor questioned as he leaned forward in his chair, his face a blank mask, but the concern visible in his dark eyes.

"I suppose you could call it that," Obi-Wan replied with a rueful grin.  "Maybe it would help if I just showed you?"

"Showed us what Padawan?" Ki-Adi Mundi questioned, as Qui-Gon Jinn finally arrived and was admitted to the Council chambers.

Nodding at his Master, Obi-Wan addressed Councilor Mundi.  "I'm sure that you are all capable of reading my Force signature?" the apprentice questioned.  When the Council members nodded, he continued.  "I would ask you to focus on it then."

Raising an eyebrow at his apprentice, but not deigning to interrupt, Qui-Gon also turned his senses toward where his Padawan stood in the middle of the room.  The colors of the Living Force swirled around him lightly, but the black and white of the Unifying Force nearly dominated the essence that was Obi-Wan Kenobi.  

Just as Master Mundi was about to comment, Obi-Wan spoke again.  "If you have all focused on me, you have seen the Force signature that is to be expected from a 14 year old apprentice.  However, I ask you to focus on me again."

Opening his mouth to object, Master Windu was cut off as Yoda raised one gnarled green hand.  "Prove what do you hope to?" the elder Jedi asked.

"Master Yoda," the apprentice responded, dropping again to one knee from where he had risen at the Council's original dismissal, "I would ask you to trust me."

Narrowing his eyes once more, Master Yoda nodded.  "Focus on you, we will," he agreed.

Containing his desire to address his apprentice through the training bond, Qui-Gon held back a sigh and refocused on Obi-Wan.  He wasn't sure what his apprentice was trying to prove, but he hoped it wasn't something that would anger the Council.  The team spent enough time in the Jedi High Council's bad graces without trying.

Centering his focus once more, Qui-Gon opened his "eyes" to the Force, expecting to see the same mixture of power, the untrained essence of a junior apprentice.  What he saw instead caused him to gasp and break his concentration.  Looking around, the Master realized he wasn't the only one to have been startled back to the present in the Council Chambers.  All twelve of the Councilors looked to the center of the chamber in a mixture of awe, disbelief and uncertainty.  

At the center of the chamber stood Obi-Wan, though his posture and bearing were clearly no longer that of a Jedi apprentice, but instead that of a Master of the Force.  Raising an eyebrow above twinkling blue-green eyes, the youngest Jedi in the room smiled roguishly.  

*********----***********--------

"All you've been through, all that you've seen…" Qui-Gon sighed as he sat down on the couch in their living quarters, offering one of the drinks he held to his apprentice.

"It has been an experience," Obi-Wan answered, not even trying to keep the odd mixture of mirth and self-recrimination from his voice.  "I sometimes wonder why I was chosen for this.  It's not as if I hold some secret knowledge or ability."

"You discount yourself, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon answered, reaching over to tug at the braid hanging at his Padawan's shoulder.  "Not only did you survive and succeed in training the last hope of the galaxy, but you also managed to relive it twice as well.  There are not many Jedi Masters who could claim such a feat."

Smiling at the light tug on his braid, Obi-Wan sighed.  "As silly as it seems, it feels so wonderful to have my braid back, and to have you tug on it."

"So you aren't going to complain that I use it as a leash?" Qui-Gon countered, the right side of his mouth quirking up in a repressed smile.

"I suppose I'll just have to take it out on you on the training mats," Obi-Wan replied with a devious grin.  "Somehow, I doubt that you are prepared for how far I've advanced in four weeks."

Leaning forward with a grin and tugging on the braid once more, Qui-Gon answered.  "I look forward to it."


	21. The End

Author's note:  Thanks to all my reviewers and readers!  You can also find more of my stories on yahoo groups.  Just search for CalaisKenobi (since I can't seem to paste the link successfully).

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The hissing and sizzling as the emerald and azure blades met again and again added a cadence to the beautiful but deadly dance evolving between the two Jedi Masters- one an older man with long flowing hair and a beard, the younger with short, spiked hair and a wide grin on his face. The dance seemed to flow back and forth between the two, sometimes with the older pushing, but more often with the younger in the lead. The battle continued until a terrific leap by the younger placed him at the other's back. A quick kick to the jaw, and the dance was over.   
  
*********

  
Offering a hand to his former Master, Obi-Wan helped Qui-Gon regain his feet. "That's quite an impressive move," the elder Master commented with a wry twist to his lips.   
  
"Well, I can't honestly take the credit for it," Obi-Wan answered, a shadow seeming to cross his face as he spoke. Leaning down to grab the two towels the two had laid out earlier, Obi-Wan tossed one to Qui-Gon. "All I can say is that the move is just as effective in an actual battle."   
  
Reading the expression on his former apprentice's face, Qui-Gon sobered. "I take it I should learn the counter to that move then?"   
  
Answering with a quirked smile, Obi-Wan went back to mopping the sweat from where it had gathered on his forehead. "My Master always advocated learning…" he replied as he finished with the towel and tossed it back on the bench.   
  
"Sounds like a wise man," Qui-Gon stated as he too finished with his towel. Pausing to take a draught from the water bottle, the older Master surreptitiously watched his former apprentice. Only a few days before, Master Jinn had been raising a young, headstrong, Jedi Apprentice. Today, Qui-Gon stood before his fellow Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi.   
  
Handing the bottle to Obi-Wan as he finished, Qui-Gon spoke softly. "It mustn't have been easy…"   
  
Taking a drink from the bottle, Obi-Wan hesitated, considering how best to answer his former Master's carefully phrased opening. As the cool water washed down his throat, Obi-Wan was enveloped by a sense of peace. Glancing carefully around for the source of the tranquility, he smiled softly as he recognized where it was coming from. Although Obi-Wan could still clearly see the arena where he and Qui-Gon were exercising, he could also see the form of Natira interposed over the matted floors. Her hair flowing gently behind her as if she stood in a light breeze, Natira stood with one hand raised in a clear gesture of farewell. A soft smile lit her face as she nodded to Obi-Wan, as if congratulating him, before fading away once more.   
  
Lowering the bottle, Obi-Wan suddenly knew how to answer his Master's inquiry. "It wasn't easy," he began. "However, I can honestly say that the chances I have been given and the things I have lived through have taught me one very important lesson."   
  
Noticing the change that had seemed to overcome his former Padawan as he began to speak, Qui-Gon remained silent. Master Jinn may not have felt any change in the Force, but it was clear that some conflict had been resolved within the younger Knight. It was almost as if Obi-Wan's eyes were suddenly filled with some inner light- a brilliance of knowledge and serenity.   
  
Smiling almost serenely, Obi-Wan turned his full gaze on his former Master. "Everything that I have experienced, every wrong I tried to undo, every major event I tried to change… it really meant nothing."   
  
Opening his mouth to protest, Qui-Gon halted as Obi-Wan raised his hand gently in a quelling gesture. "I don't mean to say that I take what I have been given lightly, but rather, I've realized that it wasn't the major events, or the cataclysmic changes that were meant to teach me. Instead, I think I was meant to learn one of the most important lessons of all: life isn't a series of big events interspersed by little meaningless tasks. The universe can't be changed by one major event, nor can one man really affect it."   
  
Turning to set the water bottle down on the bench by his towel, Obi-Wan almost missed the somewhat bemused expression on his former Master's face. "I'm not sure I understand," Qui-Gon stated after the younger Knight stood up once more and quirked an eyebrow in question.   
  
Smiling enigmatically, Obi-Wan reached out to take the towel from Qui-Gon's lax hand. Tossing it down behind him, the younger Master again removed his 'saber from his belt and settled into the opening position. Waiting until his former Master had assumed the reciprocal position, Obi-Wan finally spoke. "The only way we can really change the universe is by changing our own perspective of it. Nothing I do, or you do, or even anything that the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic does, can really change the universe if we don't let it. Evil doesn't suddenly spring into existence with one major event, instead it creeps up on us every time we allow suspicion or anger or even duty to override the sheer joy that life gives us everyday. A man who truly loves life, and enjoys it to the fullest extent possible can make a greater difference than one who sets out to change the universe."   
  
Igniting his lightsaber as he spoke the last words, Obi-Wan leapt immediately to the offensive. As the azure and emerald light beams crashed once more, the younger Knight smiled mischievously. "And now, old man, if you're ready, I believe we have a duel to finish."   
  
Smiling in kind, Qui-Gon Jinn once more engaged Obi-Wan Kenobi in the beautiful and deadly dance.   
  
THE END


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